WPBL Launches ‘WPBL On Tour’ in Bold Move to Bring Pickleball Closer to Fans, Communities in India

The World Pickleball League (WPBL) has launched WPBL On Tour after the success of the league’s inaugural season. The WPBL On Tour is as the name suggests: the league going on a tour to different cities in India for a series of off-season events featuring the WPBL’s pioneer franchises. It is part of the league’s vision to grow pickleball in India, with the franchise-led tournaments and events expected to increase community engagement in the cities to be visited.

Spanning four months, the WPBL On Tour will see the league hold tournaments and events in the cities of its six franchises, with over 20 days of on-ground engagement guaranteed. Specifically, each WPBL franchise will play host to a city-based tournament, with the WPBL assisting with strategic, marketing, and financial support. The goal of this assistance is to fully enable each franchise to organise tournaments open to local pickleball players and enthusiasts and have locals experience the thrill and communal spirit of the world’s fastest-growing sport.

“From day one, our vision for WPBL has been to unlock maximum value for our franchises, players, partners and all our stakeholders keeping fan engagement at the heart of all initiatives. We were extremely humbled witnessing the success of season 1, especially the interest shown by fans and partners, encouraging us for more Pickleball action,” said Gaurav Natekar, Co-Founder and CEO of the WPBL. “WPBL On Tour is our way of empowering our franchises to grow their local presence, build loyal communities, and embed pickleball into the cultural fabric of their cities with a year-round engagement. Along with this six-city tournament, WPBL will soon announce innovative and pioneering activations, programs and partnerships that will further elevate the game in India.”

WPBL On Tour: A Vision to Set a High Bar for Connecting with Fans

Indeed, the WPBL is looking to set a high bar for how leagues can harness meaningful connections with fans and communities by developing something of a 360° sporting ecosystem that extends beyond the primary tournament window and involves fans and stakeholders in different ways. This ambitious endeavour will also serve as a fitting prelude to Season 2, which will take place from 24 January to 8 February 2026.

“We started work on WPBL late-2023, so it’s been two years now. The game has evolved massively with the influx of new players. Every day there’s a new development in pickleball in India. The game is going places, but I believe that this is just the beginning,” said added Natekar, a two-time Asian Games gold medallist and Arjuna Awardee. “I think that leagues have not been successful, because there has not been much that has been done between seasons. Of course, with other sports there is not much you can do in terms of community, but pickleball changes the dynamic. We have always wanted to do something for our franchises between seasons and hence we had this vision.”

Natekar and the WPBL’s vision is bold and daring to say the least. But with the way pickleball has been growing in India, there’s a good chance this vision will be realised—one city and one event at a time.