Rajiv Kumar, Prachenta Verma Lead Way at 4th East Zone Pickleball Championship
Indian pickleball’s grassroots story keeps getting better.
The All India Pickleball Association wrapped up the 4th East Zone Pickleball Championship 2026 in Ranchi, Jharkhand, with outstanding performances across categories and a field that reflected the sport’s expanding footprint in the eastern part of the country. Players from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and other East Zone states turned out in force—a sign that pickleball’s growth in India is no longer concentrated in its bigger cities.
Two names stood above the rest.
Rajiv Kumar was the tournament’s standout performer, claiming gold in both Open Men’s Singles and Open Men’s Doubles—the latter alongside partner Anukul Singh. A double gold at a zonal championship is no small feat, and Kumar’s dominance across two formats in the same tournament makes a compelling case for his status as one of the region’s top players.
In the junior girls category, Prachenta Verma delivered a stellar performance to take gold in Girls’ Singles (18U). Verma also featured in the Open Mixed Doubles alongside Deepak Paswan, who collected silver in that event as well as in Open Men’s Doubles with Ranjan Kumar.
The rest of the podium filled out across multiple categories. Aditya Gupta and Apurv Kumar claimed bronze in Men’s Doubles. In the junior boys categories, Hridhhan Goenka won the 14U Boys Singles, Anurag Kumar took the 16U title, and Vishal Nishad triumphed in Boys’ Singles 18U. The Junior Mixed Doubles crown went to the pair of Aastha Priyadarshani and Attulit Shrawan.
The championship itself was only part of the story. In the days before the tournament—on 11 and 12 April—AIPA conducted a Coaches and Referee Clinic in Hyderabad, Telangana, that drew over 120 coaches and referees from across India. Numbers like that reflect something real: the people building pickleball at the ground level in India are investing in their own development, not just waiting for the sport to grow around them.
AIPA President Arvind Praboo framed the week’s events in terms of what they mean for the sport’s long-term trajectory.
“The dedication of our athletes, coaches, and officials continues to raise the standard of Indian pickleball,” he said. “These results reflect the growing depth of talent in the country and give us great confidence for the future of the sport in India.”
AIPA has been at this for over 18 years. The 4th East Zone Championship is one data point in a much longer story—but it is an encouraging one. The competition is getting deeper, the participation is getting broader, and the infrastructure around the sport is becoming more professional.
That is what a sport looks like when it is building something real.
