New Delhi: India ended their campaign at the Pickleball World Cup in Da Nang, Vietnam, with a fourth-place finish, having secured 41 medals, including seven gold, 17 silver and 17 bronze.
The contingent marked a significant improvement on last year, when it finished seventh, with 48 athletes giving their best to bring laurels to the nation. The athletes competed in the Kids, Juniors, Open, Seniors and Master’s team events, representing the official Indian Team at the World Cup. Additionally, more than 130 athletes competed in the individual categories.
One of the highlights for India at the World Cup was a silver medal won by the Kids team, led by Veer Shah and including Viransh Chopra, Aarin Ballani, Mahika Rathod, Maansi Karthik, Aashritaa S, Kaveer Mehta and Praathnaa Motiani. The Indian skipper was also honoured as the best captain in the Kids category.
“The Indian contingent has achieved tremendous results in the 2026 World Cup, and the entire Indian Pickleball Association would like to congratulate every single member of the entire delegation. Your hard work and dedication have made it seamless for IPA to continue our commitment towards global excellence. Ending up in 4th place is a huge statement to make, and I’m sure that we will definitely be aiming for an even higher spot next edition. Once again, congratulations to the entire Indian contingent, and we now set our eyes on improving grassroots pickleball within India to empower many more such talents to make a mark on the global stage,” Aditya Khanna, CEO, Indian Pickleball Association, said.
The Indian junior side finished fourth after losing to a formidable Vietnam in the quarter-finals. Arjun Singh led the Indian junior side, which also included Aditya Singh, Dev Shah, Purvansh Patel, Vivan Patel, Naomi Amalsadiwala, Ashritha Raju and Diya Mattipati.
The Indian Open side went down to the eventual winners, USA, in the quarter-finals, 2-4, bringing their campaign to a close on the penultimate day of the World Cup. Harsh Mehta led the Indian Open side, which also included Arjun Singh, Anish Frolian, Aman Patel, Naomi Amalsadiwala, Pearl Amalsadiwala, Mihika Yadav and Aaliya Ebrahim.
The Indian Masters team also lost to Vietnam in the quarter-finals. The team comprised Bhushan Akut, Thakurdas Rohira, Ajeet Bhardwaj, Shakuntala Devnani and Petulia Balaji.
Meanwhile, the Senior team was eliminated in the round of 16 after losing to New Zealand. That Indian squad featured Suryaveer Singh Bhullar, Atul Edward, Akhil Mathur, Nilesh Desai, Kiran Salian, Gaurika Chopra, Pearline Roopkumar and Kavita Khanna.
Meanwhile, Harsh Mehta won bronze in the Open Pro Men’s Doubles category at the individual event, while Purvansh Patel clinched gold in the U/18 Boys Singles category. Bhushan Akut won three golds in the 60+ men’s doubles with Ashok Rohira, 60+ Men’s Singles and 60+ mixed doubles. Fayrouz Zaidi took top honours in the 40+ women’s singles, while Vivek Reddy won on the men’s side in the same category.
Reflecting on the performance, Suryaveer Singh Bhullar, President, Indian Pickleball Association, said, “The Indian Pickleball Association is immensely proud of our athletes who represented the nation with passion, discipline, and resilience. Their performances have placed India firmly on the global pickleball map. We extend heartfelt gratitude to every player, coach, and manager for their dedication, and to our supporters for believing in this journey. A special mention to Athletiq, Electrorush, HNDRD, Bennet University, Hyatt Regency Delhi, Evaan Sports, Cosmic Birla Group, Picklebay and Lucknow Leopards for the faith and support towards Indian Pickleball.”
(IANS)
