New Delhi, September 17
The Indian Pickleball Association (IPA), in partnership with Pickleball World Rankings (PWR), announced its participation in the Pickleball World Cup 2024, set to be held in Lima, Peru, from October 22 to 27.
As India's premier governing body for pickleball, the IPA has been invited to send two teams to compete on the global stage. At the recently concluded selection trials in Ahmedabad, organized under the aegis of the IPA and the Gujarat State Pickleball Association (GSPA), nine talented players were selected to represent India.
Team India for the Open Category will be captained by Dhiren Patel and includes top players Himansh Mehta, Suraj Desai, Rakshika Ravi, and Anshi Sheth.
The Seniors 50+ Category will feature an experienced lineup with Nozer Amalsdiwala, Kiran Salian, Bela Kotwani, and Sujay Parekh.
Pranav Kohli, founder of Pickleball World Rankings, expressed his excitement about supporting Team India and said, as quoted from a press release, "I am confident that these players will make us proud and return with the Cup."
IPA President Suryaveer Singh Bhullar added, "It is a proud moment for the Indian Pickleball Association to be invited to send two teams to the World Cup. We have full faith in these players and hope they will bring glory to India."
PWR is a partnership between The Times Group, the news and entertainment leader in India and Pickleball Asia Private Limited. In July 2024, the PWR, the PWR World Series (PWS), and the PWR World Tour were launched in Dubai, with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) announced as the host region for the first PWR World Series in February 2025.
PWR had also recently announced PWR DUPR Indian Tour & League, a grand pickleball tour and league for India. The former World No. 1 tennis player Andre Agassi will visit India in January 2025 to officially flag off the PWR DUPR Indian Tour & League. The first PWR 700 event of the PWR DUPR India tour will be held in New Delhi from October 24 to 27.
As the teams prepare for Pickleball World Cup 2024, there is immense anticipation and excitement across the Indian pickleball community.