What’s the Score?
In a conclusion that defied all early-season predictions, the Mumbai Smashers have been crowned the champions of the inaugural Indian Pickleball League (IPBL) 2025. Held at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium in New Delhi, the grand finale saw the Smashers demolish the resilient Hyderabad Royals with a resounding 5–1 victory. The win marked the end of a stunning turnaround for Mumbai, a team that had languished at the bottom of the league table for much of the tournament before catching fire in the knockout stages. The event was not just a competitive triumph but a cultural spectacle, featuring a star-studded All-Star game and attendance by global sporting dignitaries,.
Hit it deeper!
The path to the championship was anything but smooth for the Mumbai Smashers. Having won only one tie in the round-robin league stage, the team looked destined for an early exit. However, a change in momentum on the penultimate day saw them win back-to-back Grand Rallies, surviving an Eliminator against the Lucknow Leopards and a Qualifier against the table-topping Chennai Super Warriors to book their place in the final.
The final match itself was a masterclass in aggressive pickleball. Quang Duong, the Male MVP of the tournament, set the tone immediately. In the opening men’s singles, he dismantled Hyderabad’s Tejas Gulati 15–4, using his pace and precision to demoralise the opposition early. Duong returned to the court for the men’s doubles alongside Ammol Ramchandani. Despite a few errors from Ramchandani early on, the pair found their rhythm to defeat Ben Newell and Divyanshu Kataria 15–10, giving Mumbai a commanding 2–0 lead,.
Hyderabad Royals found a brief glimmer of hope through their captain and Female MVP, Megan Fudge. Displaying her international class, Fudge dominated Sindoor Mittal in the women’s singles, winning 15–5 to bring the tie to 2–1. However, the momentum shifted permanently back to Mumbai in the women’s doubles. Young Pearl Amalsadiwala and Allison Harris faced the formidable duo of Fudge and Shreya Chakraborty. In a tactical battle that saw Mumbai trailing early, Harris and Amalsadiwala held their nerve, executing a comeback to win 15–10 and pushing the score to 3–1. The championship was sealed in the Grand Rally, where Mumbai overwhelmed Hyderabad 21–14, with Allison Harris hitting the winning shot to spark emotional celebrations,.
The week-long event was about more than just the finals. It was a festival of the sport, highlighted by an “All-Stars” showcase. Team “All-Stars Dink,” featuring Times Group MD Vineet Jain and Global Pickleball Federation President Javier Regalado, edged out “All-Stars Volley” 2–1 in a match that saw corporate leaders and celebrities like actor Harshvardhan Rane trading shots with pros. The presence of Regalado, who posed with the IPBL trophy, underscored the international attention India is garnering as a rising power in the sport.
The World Pickleball Verdict
The inaugural IPBL has successfully established India as a legitimate new frontier for professional pickleball. The Mumbai Smashers’ victory is the classic sports underdog story—proving that momentum and psychological resilience often matter more than league standings. By integrating international talent like Quang Duong and Megan Fudge with homegrown stars like Pearl Amalsadiwala, the league has created a template for development that other nations may soon follow. The high-profile attendance and the electric atmosphere at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium suggest that pickleball in India has graduated from a niche hobby to a spectator sport with serious commercial and competitive viability.
Chris Beaumont
Founder and Editor-in-ChiefChris Beaumont is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of World Pickleball Magazine. Chris follows the global game closely, reporting on the latest news, developments, stories and tournaments from all five continents. He also hosts the World Pickleball Podcast, interviewing people at…
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