The Karnataka State Pickleball Association (KSPA), fresh from holding the 2024 State Ranking Championship at the Tennis Village in Bangalore, is looking to keep the momentum going with another pickleball tournament—the Karnataka Pickleball Premier League.
KSPA envisions the Karnataka Pickleball Premier League as professionalising pickleball in Bangalore and providing picklers more opportunities to showcase their talent in the world’s fastest-rising sport.
For Rajath Kankar MR, Founder General Secretary of KSPA, the recently concluded 2024 State Ranking Championship is further proof that the association and Bangalore in general are ready for an even bigger, more competitive, and more prestigious pickleball league.
“The success of our recent state championship has proven that Karnataka is ready for a premier league,: he told The Deccan Herald.
Since its inception in 2016 and under the visionary leadership of Rajath, the KSPA has brought pickleball to soaring heights in Bangalore. Among others, the association has established 22 affiliated academies with more than 2,000 registered players, organized eight state-level championships, and a South Zone and National Level championship. It also has 12 affiliated schools and 9 affiliated colleges so far and is taking the lead in developing the sport among Bangalore’s youth.
And, indeed, Rajath is right. The KSPA and Bangalore is ready for a higher-lever tournament given the success of the 2024 State Ranking Championship at the Tennis Village in Bangalore. The three-day showcase attracted a total of 350 picklers from 15 categories who competed for Global Pickleball Rankings—one of the first official pickleball ranking systems in the world.
Now, the KSPA is hoping that the success of the 2024 State Ranking Championship carries over to the associations planned Karnataka Pickleball Premier League this coming February.
(Details for this league to follow.)
