"I really think pickleball has a very, very bright future in India" - Shashank Khaitan on the rise of the sport in the country
Esteemed writer-director Shashank Khaitan, known for his work in “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani” and "Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania," is also a pickleball enthusiast. He often talks about how the sport might be the next big thing. His company, Global Sports, recently conducted the Monsoon Pickle Ball League, a tournament that saw participation from almost 500 players, including several A-list Bollywood celebrities.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, Shashank Khaitan gave his views on the rise of the sport in India and how a sport that is so popular in the West could become the next big thing in the country.
Read excerpts from the interview below:
Q: How do you see the sport of pickleball picking up in India?
Shashank Khaitan: I really think pickleball has a very, very bright future in India. First of all, it's a game, which is, though it sounds new, 'pickleball', and maybe a lot of people in India have not heard of it.
But when they see it, when they hold a paddle and ball in their hand, they’ll realize it's very similar to sports they have played, whether it is tennis, badminton, or table tennis. And these are sports where traditionally we've been good at. We have great hand-eye coordination. We are very good with racquet sports in general, so I really see a great future.
I think it's already growing. I already see a lot of buzz around pickleball. Since the time I have entered the sport in the last six months, I hear a lot of people in my friends circles, in my industry, which is Bollywood, also talking about the game. So, I really think the future is bright.
There are a lot of people who are invested in the game, who are giving it the correct direction. And the good thing is, a lot of younger corporates, you know, sons of corporate leaders who have maybe studied abroad, are aware of the game. They also see a bright future. It's a great community builder. It's a great sport for five, six people to come together and just start playing.
Even infrastructure-requirement-wise, it's not very expensive. Even if you have, like a badminton court in your building, you can just buy a net, a few paddles, and balls and just start off because the court size is the same. So, I see a lot of growth for the sport because, infrastructure-wise, it's a cheap investment. And once players start playing it, they’ll realize the joy of it. I don't know of anyone who has played this game once or twice who is not becoming an addict. So, I think the future is there. I think there are a lot of people who have invested in it in the right way.
Q: There was quite a decent turnout for the Monsoon Pickle Ball League; how do you view it?
Shashank Khaitan: We were very happy with the turnout for the Montreal Pickleball Championship. Close to almost 480-490 players participated. In our previous tournament, which was held in May, we saw a turnout of about 370 or 350. So already, the growth is there. The next tournament that we are planning in February, we are looking for international participation as well. And we are looking at much bigger numbers.
Along with just the tournaments, people are regularly playing on the courts. Global Sports, our company, we are also invested in creating the infrastructure for the game. And the more courts we are creating in Mumbai, we are seeing more and more people turn up and play every day. So, I'm seeing this as a very positive sign. It's also our responsibility to give people great infrastructure, great courts to play at, and great tournaments so that they can showcase their potential.
Soon, I'm also hoping that the younger kids pick up the game. And I think as more and more courts spring up, as more and more tournaments like these happen, young kids will be motivated to pick up the game. Also, it's a great opportunity for young kids to realize that America is highly invested in the game. A lot of universities in America are looking to make pickleball teams. This also ensures great scholarships and great opportunities for them to go abroad, study abroad, and even play the game. Maybe, in time, full scholarships.
So, the turnout was very, very impressive. The turnout was very heartening for us as organizers to see. And we are only hoping to go higher and upwards from here.
Q: Can the popularity of people like yourself, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Janhavi Kapoor popularize the sport and reach greater audiences in India?
Shashank Khaitan: First of all, I have extreme gratitude for all the celebrities who have turned up for the Monsoon Pickleball Championship, and for that matter, even the first global pickleball championship, right from Yuzvendra Chahal, Ajinkya Rahane, Janhvi Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Arjun Kapoor, Aparshakti Khurana, Alia Bhatt, Anil Kapoor sir, Fatima Akansha, Sonam Bajwa, Mouni Roy, and I think what will happen is with more of these guys just supporting us, just coming to one of our events or courts and playing, people will start recognizing the game more, they'll at least start, you know, searching about the game.
Once they start playing it, they'll realize it's such a fun game to play, it's such a great physical fitness game, it's such a good community builder, and I think our job right now for the next 2-3 years is just to create as much awareness as we can, not just in the metros of India but even in the 2-3 tier cities of India.
With all the NGOs that I'm talking to, I just keep saying that you know it's such a great game to just pick some paddles and balls, go to smaller centers in India and give it to the kids, and just tell them to play. The more they play, they will get better at the game, and I really feel India is going to dominate the sport in the world in the times to come.
We are already performing at a very high level across the world, there are only maybe one or two nations in terms of quality that are better than us, so I really feel the future is amazing. It's just a matter of time and it's just a matter of us being relentless and with all the celebrity and athlete support that we can get, it will only help us take the sport to the masses, take the sport to the people. They will research it more and it'll give us the opportunity to take our coach to them, let them play and ultimately sport only grows when more and more people play it. So that's our hope, we are very very fortunate that there are so many people supporting us and we are only hoping for this continued support in the future and hopefully collectively, we can then see the results.
Q: Can we see a full-fledged league like the IPL/Pro Kabaddi happening for pickleball in the near future?
Shashank Khaitan: I mean, absolutely. I think following the IPL, everyone looks at a league as the defining point for a sport or the arena whereby the best talent in the world can come together, including us. That is the dream. But I think we are also very early because quality is of absolute essence. IPL, even when it started out, it had already many years of the World Cups and cricket in general being commercial and of high quality across the world. Pickleball is still growing, so I really feel we are still early for a league, but soon we will be ready.
Even from a broadcasting perspective or point of view, it is our duty that once we get to the broadcasting stage, we give people every game of quality. And that is the hope that, soon enough, we are going to have extremely high-quality games right from the beginning stages of our tournament.
To be honest, when we organize a tournament right now, we have around 30 games that are of extremely high quality. We are hoping that in the times to come, maybe by the next tournament or in a year, year and a half, we will have 60 to 70 games of quality. International players would love to travel to India and play with us.
And I think once that happens, once we are successful in creating a few games that people can idolize and look up to, I’m sure we'll be ready for a league. So, I think we are on the cusp. It's not very far off. And yes, that is ultimately going to be one of the directions where we would like to see pickleball grow in. And I'm hoping with all the support and all the people now looking to invest in the sport, this journey will be much quicker rather than later.
Q: A sport so popular in the West but being introduced here - how difficult it is to market a sport in India, a nation that obsesses over cricket, Kabaddi, and football?
Shashank Khaitan: As I said earlier, because the name is new and because the name is unconventional- pickleball, right now people are not aware of it, but as the awareness grows, people will start realizing it's a very familiar sport. Yes, cricket, tennis, kabaddi, badminton, football, you know, they've already been there for so long, and they're pretty much in the senses of people; people are aware of it.
But according to me, pickleball won't take time because it's not a new sport from the perspective of holding a paddle or hitting a ball. In fact, all athletes in India, whoever play any sport in India, are very good with ball-eye coordination; they're very good with hand-eye coordination; they're very good with, you know, holding a racquet and playing. So, I think it's just about taking the game to the people; as more and more people start, they'll realize a certain familiarity with it. They won't think of it as a new sport.
Yes, some rules are new, and some point systems are different, but that is just a matter of a couple of days to get used to. The idea of hitting a ball across the net and winning a point is very, very simple, and everyone in India knows that, you know. We are a country where badminton is played in buildings. Sometimes when a building does not have a net, we use the main gate of the building, shut it down, and play badminton across that.
I've seen that a lot in two-tier India, in a place like Nasik, where I grew up, and I've done so much of that. So, I think pickleball will definitely grow. Yes, it's a challenge to market the sport always because it's something new, but fortunately, with so many people supporting us, I think that journey is going to be fun. It is going to be relentless.
We have to be focused on it for the next two, three years to ensure that we do not step off the pedal. But it's going to be very easy as well, because as more and more people start playing it, they'll really feel it's their game. They will really feel that, oh, it's not something new or something difficult.
And it is a very easy game to play. Also, what is beautiful about the game, especially in the arena of doubles, it’s a game where 18-year-olds, 44-year-olds, and 50-year-olds can play with each other. They can compete with each other. It's also a very gender-neutral sport when it comes to doubles. Men and women can play together and be very competitive because of the kind of rules that are there, because of the kind of style of play. And I think that also makes the sport very inclusive and also very exciting.
As you mentioned, it’s already popular in the West, in a place like America. Mixed doubles and doubles are absolute showcase matches when they look at tournaments. In fact, it's probably more popular than singles.
So, I think here as well, when more and more people discover it, they'll realize it's such an inclusive sport. It's such a great sport for a family. A father, mother, their children can get together and play the game, and they'll all be competitive and enjoy and not feel bored. Like there won't be any difference in quality. So, marketing it is exciting. It's a challenge, for sure. But I'm sure in the times to come, we’ll hear more of pickleball across the country.