Entrepreneurs in padel and pickleball aim to build a community while running a business

Bengaluru

While padel and pickleball have gained popularity in certain parts of the world, such as the US, Latin America, and parts of Europe, in India they are still sports that not everybody knows about, let alone plays. Bengaluru currently has over 15 padel courts, and across India, about 300 courts have mushroomed over the last five years. Entrepreneurs in large cities like Bengaluru have taken notice of the sport’s growth and established courts across the city. Salman Yunus and Zaid Khurram, founders of Pineapple Play in Marathahalli, said they were driven by their love for the game and the recognition that community is a vital part of the fun.

“It started off as something that we were very excited by. We love the sport and we wanted to get involved in it. Initially, it was an infrastructure project, and then everything that came beyond became even more exciting. There’s a community, there are brands, there is viewership, so you start thinking about how to make the experience better for people,” said Zaid. Salman explained that he was interested in the idea of “elephant companies”, which focus on building a community to drive long-term success.

“You grow up in a nuclear family, you go to school, then you do a corporate job — everything is nuclear, right? But now people want to find their tribe, and pickleball and padel are very much about that. And I think whatever we are today, it’s all for the community and because of the community,” he said. Danish, a pickleball enthusiast, said the social aspect naturally comes with the sport.

“When I started playing, it was a new game, and my friends had a court, so I would go and play with them. It was a nice thing for us to do together,” he said. Like many such venues, the courts have turned into places for social bonding, regularly organising tournaments, family days, and even midnight tournaments, with some venues remaining open 24 hours. As the sport combines aspects of existing games like tennis, badminton, and table tennis, its appeal is easy to understand.

The smaller scale of the game also makes it accessible to people of all ages. As a result, it became known as a sport for senior citizens. However, according to Zaid, people across age groups are showing up on the courts. “I think it’s a myth that only older people play it. We have players as young as eight coming in for coaching, and we have teenagers playing in tournaments. We’re twenty-three and twenty-five, and we still get injured playing it. We do have older players as well and organise tournaments for people aged over fifty,” said Zaid.