The first-ever professional pickleball competition, the World Pickleball League (WPBL), which will begin its debut season in January 2025, aims to elevate the pickleball sport to new heights.
Natekar Sports and Gaming (NSG), the company founded by former Davis Cup tennis star and Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Natekar, and Sony Entertainment Talent Ventures India (SETVI) will be launching the league. Pickleball, a racquet sport that mixes aspects of tennis, table tennis, and badminton, has gained popularity worldwide.
Six teams will fight for the championship in the league’s first year. Each squad will have five to eight players, including international stars. The league will also require clubs to have Indian and younger competitors so that they can learn from the world’s finest players.
Recently, during the unveiling event of Samantha Ruth Prabhu as the owner of the Chennai-based franchise, SportsMint Media got an opportunity to speak with Mr Gaurav Natekar, Founder & CEO of WPBL.
Mr. Natekar covered a wide range of subjects in the conversation, such as long-term vision, Samantha’s role as an owner, creating a pickleball community, and more.
1. How did you pitch the idea of the World Pickleball League to Sony Entertainment Talent Ventures India (SETVI)?
SETVI was looking for specific IPs, and I informed them about the enormous potential with pickleball. We are not positioning it as a sport, but rather as a lifestyle and entertainment, which is why I believe SETVI would be a good investor.
2. In the long term, how do you think the WPBL will perform compared to the PKL, ISL, or even cricket?
I don’t think you can compare anything to cricket. In our country, it is considered a religion. Also, the IPL has been around for 17 years, while we are just getting started. I am excited about pickleball because it is simple to play. For me, it’s also about creating a community. There are many stories about the sport. It’s more about creating communities through the sport, which I haven’t seen in many other sports in my 30-year playing career.
3. Given that the World Pickleball League is still in its early stages, how can it foster community and raise public awareness of the sport?
We’ll hold multiple national ranking contests for each franchisee in every city. We are working closely with the All India Pickleball Association to develop the sport from the ground up and raise awareness.
4. WBPL will provide an opportunity to over 30,000 amateur players to earn through the competition; what’s your take on this?
We are following a pyramid structure. The World Pickleball League professional edition is at the top, followed by a couple of other amateur & corporate leagues. If a 14 or 15-year-old kid wants to play for India, our vision is that his aspiration should be to be in one of the franchises of WPBL in two or three years.
5. How will you entice brands to invest in the competition as sponsors?
Given what pickleball is seeing today, we’ve already got a lot of brands who are keen to come on board. We know exactly how we want to position our marketing strategy, and it will go LIVE in a few weeks. Certain companies have approached us, but we have not begun aggressive negotiations with anyone yet.
6. What will be the selling point for the brands, considering WPBL taps into a separate audience?
Pickleball’s age-neutrality stems from its simplicity. The sport speaks for itself, and we simply need to consider how we can ensure that the competition benefits not only the league, but also the players, sponsors, brands, and the game itself.
7. How will the league work its way into people’s everyday lives? Given audiences consume television for an adequate time.
Calling to get into people’s lives by just watching the sport is not the ideal scenario. When a sport gets into someone’s life, it’s when you start playing it. We want more people to come and play the sport. I believe that India, unfortunately, is more a sport-watching nation than a sport-playing nation. I’m saying this because traditional sports are not very easy to learn. I’ve played tennis for 40 years of my life. I know how tough it is. Likewise, badminton and squash are tough to learn. However, if you try and play pickleball, you just need to pick up a paddle and a ball and you realise how easy it is to play. While we will be doing what we need to in terms of marketing, I think that the game also will sell itself.
8. As the league prepares to begin in January 2025, how will the league strategise itself to compete against the PKL or ISL?
There will probably never be a window with only one sporting event taking place. I’m not too concerned about it. Whatever date and window we choose, we know that other things will happen. I believe that one should focus on what needs to be done rather than what others are doing. We have a clear focus on trying to implement it, and I believe that if we do so to the best of our abilities, we should be fine.
9. What is the idea behind having celebrity owners for the league?
When I spoke with Samantha, I realised she is very passionate about women’s communities and the city of Chennai, which is why we felt she would make an excellent partner. I believe that personalities associated with sports help the sport grow. People also watch sports because they have an idol, enjoy a particular sport, or follow someone in that sport. That is what we hope to accomplish with pickleball. Many of the players are unknown at this time, and we hope to use the league as a platform to develop future Indian stars.
10. What steps will be followed to create a star out of the competition?
There is no plan. There are many talented Indian players who do not get their due in any sport, let alone pickleball, which is why we will hold tournaments for them and see who rises to the top via a feeder system. We will identify these players and then move them forward.
11. How important is Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s involvement with the competition in terms of attracting focus across the country?
Samantha is a national celebrity. It isn’t just about Samantha; it’s about her vision. What she told me when I met with her excites me, which is why we are delighted to have her.