Locked, Loaded, Ready to Go: Inaugural MLP Asia Rosters Finalised as International Draft Closes

The wait is over—MLP Asia’s inaugural International Draft has wrapped up, and the six franchises now have their full lineups ready for Season 1. Eighteen international picks were made across three rounds, each decided by a live auction that sold off draft order every time. Combined with the domestic selections confirmed earlier this month, every team now carries six players into the league’s debut campaign.

MLP Asia 2026 is the inaugural season of Major League Pickleball Asia, a professional team-based pickleball league expanding the U.S. Major League Pickleball (MLP) format into Asia. It features six franchises representing different Asian markets:

• Dragon Warriors (China)
• Hong Kong Cannons (Hong Kong)
• Malayan Stripes (Malaysia)
• Manila Helios (Philippines)
• Team Tokyo (Japan)
• Viet Panthers (Vietnam)

The International Draft filled three open slots per team, with each franchise entering the auction armed with a US$250,000 cap to cover both player salaries and bidding for draft position. Salaries were tied to world rankings—US$25,000 for top‑20 players, US$10,000 for those ranked 21–50, and US$5,000 for anyone outside the top 50.

Each round began with a live auction. The highest bidder picked first, the next highest second, and so on. Teams that chose not to bid slid to the back of the order.

Round One Highlights + Full Draft

• Tama Shimabukuro went first overall to the Viet Panthers.
• Eunggwon Kim landed with the Malayan Stripes.
• Armaan Bhatia joined the Hong Kong Cannons.
• Seina Shima was snapped up by Manila Helios.
• Nasa Hatakeyama went to Team Tokyo.
• Grayson Goldin rounded out the opening round for the Dragon Warriors.

The rest of the international draft played out as follows:

Round Two

7. Chao Yi Wang (Hong Kong Cannons)

8. Kaitlyn Christian (Viet Panthers)

9. Xiao Yi Wang-Beckvall (Malayan Stripes)

10. Jamie Wei (Dragon Warriors)

11. Mihae Kwon (Team Tokyo)

12. Muhammad Aiman (Manila Helios)

Round Three

13. Daniel Moore (Team Tokyo)

14. Luc Pham (Dragon Warriors)

15. Mayu Ito (Manila Helios)

16. Ho Tam (Viet Panthers)

17. Kei Sawaki (Hong Kong Cannons)

18. Lacy Schneeman (Malayan Stripes)

Full Rosters Set and What Comes Next

Each team now boasts three domestic picks, three international picks, and a designated captain:

• Dragon Warriors: Lingwei Kong (c), Anni Xie, Longsheng Liu, Grayson Goldin, Jamie Wei, Luc Pham
• Hong Kong Cannons: Jack Wong Hong-kit (c), Nok Yiu Tang, Marco Leung, Armaan Bhatia, Chao Yi Wang, Kei Sawaki
• Malayan Stripes: Jimmy Liong (c), Syed Uzair, Athilla Miasara, Eunggwon Kim, Xiao Yi Wang‑Beckvall, Lacy Schneeman
• Manila Helios: Kim Saraza (c), Jacob Diago, Macy Ybanez, Seina Shima, Muhammad Aiman, Mayu Ito
• Team Tokyo: Yuta Funemizu (c), Aiko Yoshitomi, Rika Fujiwara, Nasa Hatakeyama, Mihae Kwon, Daniel Moore
• Viet Panthers: Quan Do (c), Hien Truong, Sophia Nhi Huynh, Tama Shimabukuro, Kaitlyn Christian, Ho Tam

The season kicks off November 13 in Japan, with each team hosting one home fixture against two opponents in a single evening of high‑octane pickleball. After three weeks of group play, the top four sides advance to the playoffs. Semifinals are set for December 11, with the Super Saturday finals on December 12 crowning the first‑ever MLP Asia champions.

The stage is set. Six teams, six captains, and eighteen international stars—MLP Asia’s debut season promises to be a showcase of pickleball at its sharpest.