Pickleball is growing rapidly in India, but Indian Pickleball Association (IPA) president Suryaveer Singh Bhullar believes the sport is still at the beginning of its journey. With the IPA now officially recognised as the national federation, the focus is on creating a proper system for players across the country.
Speaking to RevSportz, Bhullar said the ultimate target is ambitious. “Our ultimate goal is to get pickleball into the Olympics.”
However, before reaching the Olympics, the IPA wants to strengthen the sport at the grassroots. The federation currently has 28 state bodies and, according to Bhullar, conducted more than 150 tournaments across India in the last year. He also said there are now more than 150,000 players, before adding: “I don’t think we have even achieved one per cent of the potential of pickleball in India.”
Schools at the centre of the plan
Bhullar believes schools will be one of the biggest drivers of pickleball’s growth. The IPA is working to take the sport to more schools and wants it to become part of the CBSE curriculum.
The federation is also organising an inter-school championship this year and hopes to involve around 500 schools from across India.
According to Bhullar, many schools have started accepting pickleball, but some are still hesitant because the sport is not yet part of the CBSE system.
“Schools are very integral for any sport to grow,” he said. “A lot of schools are still resistant because it’s not recognised or it’s not part of CBSE.”
Building a pathway for young players
The IPA is also working on junior programmes and high-performance centres. A centre is already running in Ahmedabad, while centres in Gurgaon and Bengaluru are being developed.
The federation is also exploring manufacturing pickleball equipment in India. The aim is to make equipment more affordable and allow more players to take up the sport.
Bhullar does not believe pickleball needs expensive infrastructure everywhere.
“You can play pickleball anywhere,” he said. “You can play pickleball on the road. You just have to put a makeshift net.”
For him, the bigger challenge is awareness.
“I don’t think accessibility is a problem. I think it’s more about creating awareness and introducing the game to people.”
How India is finding talent
The IPA has a selection committee that watches players at major tournaments. Bhullar said selection is not based on one good performance – “Players were picked not only based on the performance of that particular tournament, but the year-round performance which is taken into consideration.”
The selectors also keep an eye on young players and try to support them with equipment and sponsorship.
World Cup expectations
India will face a tough challenge at the upcoming World Cup, especially in the professional category, where some of the world’s top players are expected to compete.
Bhullar, however, is confident about India’s junior teams.
“I am extremely confident about our junior Under-14 team and Under-18 team to come back with medals,” he said. “Arjun Singh is a kid with tremendous potential.”
Bhullar said the IPA has plans for Arjun and hopes he can win gold for India at the World Cup.
Looking beyond the World Cup
The IPA is also looking at bigger international competitions. Discussions are underway for an Asia Cup, with the possibility of India hosting the tournament next year.
The federation is also working towards making a case for pickleball’s inclusion in the Commonwealth Games. Bhullar is heading a committee under the Global Pickleball Federation that is looking into the possibility.
The first step could be a Commonwealth Cup, bringing players from different Commonwealth countries together.
“We can prove to them that, yes, pickleball is prevalent in all the Commonwealth countries and there are good numbers.”
The role of the Indian Pickleball League
Bhullar believes the Indian Pickleball League can play a major role in making the sport more popular.
According to him, a professional league gives players financial support, visibility and the chance to become stars, with an impact similar to the IPL in cricket.
“It creates an aspiration for players,” said Bhullar. “Indian Pickleball League is going to do for pickleball what IPL has done for cricket.”
On the recognition debate
The IPA’s recognition has also led to a governance debate because of the presence of the long-established AIPA. Bhullar did not want to comment in detail, saying the ministry had conducted its due diligence before taking the decision.
He pointed instead to the IPA’s player base, state associations and tournament record.
“We have proved that we have the players, we have a number of players, we have a number of states across India.”
Bhullar also highlighted the sporting background of the federation’s leadership. He has represented India at the World Cup and won gold in the 50-plus category. He said the committee also includes former Olympians and national champions.
“The rest of my committee is all sportsmen, ex-Olympians, national champions.”
For Bhullar, the journey is only beginning. The goal is to build pickleball from the school level to the international stage and, eventually, the Olympics.
“There’s a long way to go, a lot of work to be done and IPA is working towards that.”
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The post ‘Our ultimate goal is to get pickleball into the Olympics’: Suryaveer Singh Bhullar on India’s big plans appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
