India Sends 34-Strong Squad to Asian Pickleball Junior Open as AIPA Continues to Build Talent Development Pipeline
India is investing in its pickleball future—and the investment is getting bigger every year.
The All India Pickleball Association (AIPA) has selected a 34-member junior contingent to represent India at the third Asian Pickleball Junior Open, organised by the Asia Federation of Pickleball as part of its flagship Asia Pickleball Junior Open ecosystem. The continental championship brings together the finest young players from across Asia and serves as a critical proving ground for the next generation of the sport’s talent. It also feeds directly into AFP’s structured junior ranking and development system, opening doors to global competitions including the Pickleball World Championships at junior and collegiate level.
AIPA’s commitment to the tournament goes beyond simply showing up. The 34-player squad covers all four age categories—Under-12, Under-14, Under-16, and Under-18—and draws athletes from nine states and territories: Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Chandigarh. That geographic spread says something meaningful about where junior pickleball in India is right now. This is not a squad built from one or two urban pockets. It reflects a sport that has taken root across the country and produced competitive young talent in multiple regions simultaneously.
The full squad includes Shreyas Rajaram, Parth Vijayvargiya, Aarna Chugh, Shlok Bayes, Aarish Aga Choubey, Sahaj Agrawal, Kushi Pawan Reddy, Nischay Pawan Reddy, Likitha Reddy Kolli, Keerthi Y.S., Hithvik Y.S., Jigar Vishwakarma, Ibrahim Poonawala, Aadya Vinod, Sarrah Hakim, Shreshta Manohar, Angel Khokhar, Aryan Deshpande, Hridik Goyal, Aaradhya Satpute, Anjali Pol, Aarav Surve, Arnav Khamkar, Stuti, Kavya Nandardhane, Jay Agrawal, Aditi, Aaron Ernest Ellis, Tejas Nagpal, Hridhan Goenka, Atharv Pandey, Saaish Arora, Shaunac Arora, and Suyash Bhamboria.
AIPA president Arvind Ramesh Prabhoo framed the participation in terms of the longer arc the association is trying to build.
“The 3rd Asian Pickleball Juniors is an important milestone in our vision of building a strong international pathway for young Indian players,” Prabhoo said. “Competing against the best junior talent in Asia will provide our athletes with invaluable experience, enhance their confidence and accelerate their development.”
He was equally clear about what the association’s role demands beyond the immediate tournament.
“At AIPA, we are committed to creating opportunities that enable our players to compete at the highest level while strengthening India’s position in the global pickleball community,” he added.
Skechers India comes on board as the official kitting partner for the junior team, supplying tournament kits and high-performance pickleball shoes to all 34 athletes. It is the kind of commercial partnership that matters for a young squad—professional equipment and presentation send a message to the players about how seriously their federation takes them, and to competitors about the programme behind them.
India has been on a consistent upward trajectory in international pickleball. The national team’s performance at the US Open earlier this year—multiple medals including gold for the Arjun-Aditya Singh pairing—demonstrated what the senior programme is capable of. The junior squad heading to the Asian Pickleball Juniors is the layer below that, the generation being prepared to follow in those footsteps.
AIPA is building the pathway deliberately and patiently. Thirty-four juniors in Asia’s premier continental junior competition is another step along it.
