Darius Acuff Jr. is no stranger to making history. This season, the 19-year-old Arkansas point guard became the first player to lead the SEC in both points and assists since Pete Maravich in 1970, and third to win both freshman and player of the year. 

Indeed, pretty much everything about Acuff screams superstar. He’s more than an electric basketball player. There’s an icy cool charisma to him — the kind Reebok believes is ready to be the face of a franchise, as the company announced on Tuesday that it has signed Acuff to a signature shoe deal (meaning he will have his own shoe when he takes the court for his first NBA game), marking the first time that has ever happened for a male athlete that is still in college. 

Anyone who gets the “HIM” endorsement from Allen Iverson is true-hooper stamped, but a necessary caveat is that it is Iverson’s jojb to sell the world on Acuff’s impending stardom. He’s Reebok’s vice president of basketball. For now, this is just marketing. There are no guarantees. What kind of actual NBA player Acuff turns out to be, both in the short and long term, remains to be seen. 

And that’s where this gets interesting. Or, if you’re the team that ends up drafting Acuff with a top-five pick, potentially dangerous. Acuff represents what has become the league’s most precarious positional archetype: The small, score-first point guard who can’t defend. 

Now, before we go any further, a couple disclaimers. First, Acuff isn’t that small. He’s listed anywhere from 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-3, and at 190 pounds he’s built like an old-school SEC running back — his sturdy frame and straight-line strength is actually one of his most devastating attributes, at least against college players. Yes, he’ll be undersized in a lot of NBA point guard matchups, but so is Jalen Brunson, who one league scout told CBS Sports is one of Acuff’s better NBA comps. 

“If you’re going with the more high-end outcomes [for Acuff’s career], I suppose there’s some Damian Lillard in there. Maybe a bigger, stronger Keyonte George on a little bit of the lower end,” the Western Conference scout said, noting the “natural fade” to a lot of Acuff’s midrange pull-ups that remind him of George. 

“But yeah, I think Brunson is a probably a good example [of what Acuff can become], just with the way they use their leverage; they get you on their hip, get that shoulder into you, and from there you can’t get them off their line. … Remember, nobody projected Brunson to become what he has. We said the same things, right? Too small. How’s he gonna guard? But there’s no backdown in that guy. … It’s hard to go wrong betting on those kinds of guys.”

Indeed, Brunson is an interesting comp for Acuff — not just for the size and skill similarities (Acuff is a better athlete) but through the prism of defensive deficiency. Even as great as Brunson is offensively, there’s still a question as to whether he can be the best player on a championship team as a weak-link defender, even as the Knicks have tried to insulate him with long wings and rim protection. 

Which brings us to the second disclaimer: we don’t know that Acuff can’t defend. We only know that he hasn’t chosen to yet. 

It’s partly, if not largely, an awareness issue on tape — he can look like a chicken with his head cut off away from the ball. But in theory, he has the athleticism and physicality to pull his weight. Maybe he’ll figure it out in the NBA. So far, the evidence is not terribly encouraging. 

Last Saturday, Acuff had absolutely no chance of staying in front of High Point point guard Rob Martin, but neither did anyone else. Martin is a human bullet. You give that guy a head of steam and 90% of defenders, even NBA ones, are going to become a billboard on an F1 track. 

Again, it was the effort and focus lapses that stood out. Acuff’s screen navigation is a real problem. The want-to just isn’t there. He’s too content to fall out of the play, which wouldn’t seem to be in keeping with all the “tough competitor” praise he gets. Watch here as he takes the scenic route around two picks on which he isn’t even touched, just to lazily trail from behind as Martin cruises in for a layup. 

Even when Acuff did manage to stay attached to Martin, he still got powered through at the rim by a guy who is generously listed at 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds. 

The flip side to this, of course, is that like Brunson, Acuff gives it right back to you — and then some — on the offensive end. He put 36 on High Point. Scored 12 of Arkansas’ final 15 points. Turned a tie game with three minutes to play into a 90-83 lead with a personal 7-0 run. The clutch gene is evident. You can’t teach it. Acuff has it. 

Through two NCAA tournament games, Acuff has racked up 60 points and 13 assists. Chris Paul is the only other freshman since 1973 to open his NCAA Tournament career with consecutive 20-point/5-assist games. There would appear to be almost no doubt that Acuff is going to be an offensive weapon at the next level, perhaps even a deadly one. 

🏀 Darius Acuff Jr.’s sizzling NCAA Tournament

The NBA, generally speaking, does not value this type of one-way player — particularly as the face of a franchise — the way it did even five years ago. Trae Young’s outsized salary just got dumped. Nobody wants to touch Ja Morant. It’s hard to imagine any team paying Tyler Herro $130 million today, but in 2022 the Heat did. 

Even closer to the roster margins, teams are largely moving away from one-way scorers who bring little else to the table. Cam Thomas is a walking bucket and he just got waived by the Bucks. Jordan Poole has averaged 20 points per game over a season two times and is basically a castoff. Jonathan Kuminga dominated playoff games as a scorer, yet could hardly crack Steve Kerr’s rotation before he was shipped to the Hawks. Collin Sexton was an elite scorer in college and has remained a very good one in the NBA, and nobody is handing him the keys to their team. 

There are exceptions. If your name is Luka Dončić, Stephen Curry, Donovan Mitchell, prime James Harden or Lillard, or certainly the aforementioned Brunson, a lot of these size and/or defensive flaws will be tolerated. It begs the question: Is Acuff’s offense that great? 

“[It] has a chance to be, in my opinion,” a separate scout told CBS Sports. “It’s not just because of what he does with the ball, but he can [play] off it, too. That’s become so important. I mean look around, how many teams do you see playing that Luka style anymore, where you’re just giving it to one guy and letting him play pick and roll all game long? It’s not many.”

It’s true. Context matters. You’re a lot more exposed as a defensive liability when you’re the face of a team, especially right out of the gate. Keyonte George has it easier than Trae Young did in Atlanta. George isn’t the best player in Utah. At best, he’ll be the third-best player next year. Plus, the Jazz have built their roster to insulate him with bigs everywhere, trading for Jaren Jackson Jr. to put alongside Walker Kessler and Lauri Markannen. And George, an electric scorer, still might be a problem when they start trying to win games. Maybe we’ll find out next year. It’s an interesting litmus test. 

For Acuff, a situation like Dallas would be perfect. He wouldn’t be the best player on the team (that would be Cooper Flagg), and Kyrie Irving would allow him to ease into his career in the same way that De’Aaron Fox is doing for Dylan Harper, the second overall pick in 2025, in San Antonio. 

CBS Sports lead draft scout Adam Finkelstein has Acuff going in the six to eight range, which is Jazz/Mavericks/Grizzlies/Hawks territory. Would the Jazz put Acuff alongside George, or take him with the plan to move George? The Hawks have a good shot at a mid-lottery pick, too (via New Orleans’ or Milwaukee’s pick), but would they make another bet on a player like Acuff after just having punted on Young? Maybe. Maybe not. Every organization is looking out a different window. 

“You try not to put a lot of stock in these generic prototypes, as far as where the league is going or what kinds of players are en vogue at whatever moment,” one Western Conference exec told CBS Sports. “It wasn’t that long ago that centers were supposed to be dying. Everyone was going small. Now everyone is looking for size again. … You really have to just go case by case. What’s good for one team might not be a fit for another. Do the strengths outweigh the weaknesses? And then, can the weaknesses be improved?”

Ah, the improvement card. It’s always a popular one to play around draft time. If you took a shot of tequila every time some analyst said the words “he needs to improve his shooting” on draft night, you’d be in the back of an ambulance before the end of the first round. 

For years this led teams to use lottery picks on the likes of Michael Carter-Williams, Elfrid Payton, Kris Dunn, Emmanuel Mudiay, Ricky Rubio, Dante Exum and Frank Ntilikina — all on the assumption that their shooting would meaningfully improve. Not one of them ever made an All-Star team. 

It’s not to say improvement can’t happen. Of course it can. In this regard, defense, to whatever degree your size allows, is no different than any other skill. Ben Simmons didn’t give a damn about defense in college, but in the NBA he became the portrait of modern versatility before flaming out of the league for just about every reason other than defense. 

Go talk to Darren Erman about Klay Thompson. Erman was an assistant with the Warriors when Thompson came up, and he’ll tell you all the stories you want about Thompson going into the gym and working out for hours without a ball, working on his defense, his movement, his technique, anything and everything until he became one of the league’s best perimeter defenders. 

Acuff doesn’t have the size of a Simmons or Thompson, but he can get better if he wants to. Curry did it. You better believe a lot of GMs are trying to make as educated a guess as possible as to whether Acuff will do the same. Like us, they’ll be watching closely when Acuff squares up against top-seeded Arizona, which has NBA players all over, in the Sweet Sixteen on Thursday night. 

If his defense is a wreck and the Razorbacks get spanked, will it hurt his draft stock? If he balls out and leads Arkansas into the Elite Eight, will it rise even more than it already has? It’s easy to say teams evaluate the big picture over a small sample of big-stage showings, but evidence often speaks to the contrary. Showing out in the tourney can, and does, influence even the most unemotional of evaluators. 

Sometimes knocking a your marquee audition out of the park proves to be a predictor of NBA success, as was the case with Curry and Brunson, even a Kemba Walker, to name a few tournament darlings. But for every one of those guys, there’s a Trey Burke. A Shabazz Napier. Small guys who were big-time college point guards and showed out in the tourney but never panned out in the NBA. 

Acuff is almost certainly going to pan out on some level. It’s impossible to imagine him being a full-on bust. But we’re talking degrees here. He’s probably going to go in the top 10, with the expectation that he will someday soon be not just a statistical darling but an actual star who can influence winning. Those are two very different things and the league is now starkly differentiating between the two. 

Which one will Acuff become? Who knows. He’s only 19-years-old. Everything is on the table. His lack of interest in playing defense is a red flag. Ultimately he will have to either fix it or find a way to be so great on offense that the defense does not matter. One team this June is going to make a huge bet Acuff can swing one of the two outcomes. It would be a lot of fun if he could do both. 

Gujarat Titans’ captain Shubman Gill (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill has joined the growing list of Indian players voicing concerns over the Impact Player rule in the Indian Premier League, stating that it “takes the skill out of the game.” Gill’s remarks come shortly after similar criticism from players like Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel. During the IPL captains’ meeting held in Mumbai, a majority of team leaders, including Gill, reportedly pushed for a review of the rule, which was first introduced by the BCCI in 2023 and has since been extended until at least 2027. Speaking a day after the meeting, Gill was clear in his stance against the regulation, which allows teams to introduce an extra batter or bowler at any point during a match. “Personally for me, I don’t think there should be an impact player. I think cricket in general is an 11 players’ game and on wickets where we play on the grounds that we play, adding an extra batsman is I think it takes the skill out of the game,” Gill said. He further explained that the traditional balance of the sport is being affected, especially in pressure situations where teams are expected to adapt with limited resources. “There’s a certain skill in the game that you need to have. When you have a certain amount of batters and if a couple of your batters get out, there’s an amount of skill that you need to have to still get the scoreboard moving and get your team to a good score.” Gill also argued that the rule is making matches more predictable and less competitive, particularly on batting-friendly surfaces. “With that one extra player, it’s making the game more one-dimensional and it’s taking a little bit of the skill out of the game. Chasing 180 on a challenging wicket or 160 on a challenging wicket is for me, it’s personally way more exciting than chasing 220 on a flat wicket,” he added. Despite the criticism from several players, the rule is set to remain in place for the foreseeable future, with any potential review expected only after the 2027 season. “It’s gonna be there till 2027. It’s something that we also spoke about in the captain’s meeting yesterday. I understand it makes the game a bit more entertaining, but let’s see. It’s there. It’s up to them what the BCCI is going to do, they’re gonna take their decision, but personally I don’t like it,” Gill said.

New York Yankees shortstop José Caballero made MLB history Wednesday: He became the first player to use the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS).

During the fourth inning of the Yankees’ 7-0 Opening Day win over the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park, Caballero challenged home plate umpire Bill Miller’s strike call after Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb threw a sinker at the top of the zone.

Caballero, 29, tapped his head to initiate the challenge and appeal the strike call, but lost the challenge. The 12 Hawk-Eye cameras of the Automated Ball-Strike System displayed that Webb’s 90.7 mph sinker was in the zone.

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José Caballero (72) of the New York Yankees runs to first after hitting a one-run double in the second inning during the game between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, on March 25, 2026. (Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Despite losing the challenge, he had conviction in his decision.

“Nope, I wanted to go for it,” Caballero said.

Caballero thought it was a little higher than what was shown, but he is a fan of the ABS system despite his unsuccessful appeal.

“I think it’s really good, keep everyone accountable,” he added. “It gives us a chance to really see how good (we are) with the zone or not. I wish it was the other way around, I’m trying to get the overturn call but this time I didn’t.”

BASEBALL HALL OF FAME PITCHER GOES IN DEPTH HOW ABS SYSTEM WILL IMPROVE OFFENSE, HOW ARMS HAVE TO ADJUST

Jazz Chisholm Jr., left, and José Caballero, right, of the New York Yankees are congratulated by Austin Wells (28) after both scored on Ryan McMahon’s two-run single against the San Francisco Giants during the second inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, California, on March 25, 2026. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)

Caballero’s challenge was the lone one of the game. The Yankees were up 5-0 at the time of the challenge.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he has tried to be direct with the feedback he has given to players regarding their challenges.

“We’ve had a lot of dialogue at it. It’s something that we’ve poured a lot into, I’ve certainly,” Boone said. “It’s become one of the things I’ve kind of tried to lead the charge on a little bit. Another kind of end-of-spring meeting with all the position players and catchers at the end just kind of running through different ones that came up and give my feedback on it. I’ve been very direct with them during spring as far as after the fact if I thought one was really good or conversely if one was terrible.”

“I’ve tried to be real direct with them and why,” he said. “I feel like we’re going to be good at it, that’s the expectation. I’m sure we’ll continue to evolve with it.”

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New York Yankees shortstop José Caballero (72) throws the ball to first to record an out against the San Francisco Giants in the ninth inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, on March 25, 2026. (Cary Edmondson/Imagn Images)

Teams are given two challenges a game, but if they successfully challenge a call, they retain it. But if the challenge is unsuccessful, you lose it. So, the Yankees were down to one challenge for the rest of game after Caballero’s unsuccessful attempt in the fourth inning.

Caballero, who went 1 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored, drove in the first run of the 2026 MLB season with a single that scored Giancarlo Stanton in the second inning.

The Yankees (1-0) will look to continue their hot start when they take on the Giants (0-1) on Friday at 4:35 p.m. ET.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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In recent years a growing number of sports federations, including World Aquatics and World Athletics, have barred athletes who have undergone male puberty from competing in elite female competition amid concerns over fairness and safety.

Last May the Football Association and England and Wales Cricket Board were among a number of British sports bodies to follow suit after the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that the legal definition of a woman was based on biological sex.

The moves have been opposed by trans rights campaigners who argue they could violate human rights, and insist inclusion should be prioritised.

However, this year US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that prevents transgender women from competing in female categories.

He said it would include the 2028 Olympics and that he would deny visas for transgender athletes trying to visit the US to compete at the Games.

New Zealand’s Laurel Hubbard became the first openly transgender women to compete at an Olympics after being selected for the women’s weightlifting team at Tokyo 2020.

The Paris 2024 Olympics were engulfed in controversy after Algeria’s Imane Khelif won the women’s welterweight boxing gold medal, a year after being disqualified from the World Championships for reportedly failing a gender eligibility test.

The IOC cleared the 25-year-old to compete, along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who was also banned by the suspended International Boxing Association (IBA).

The IOC said competitors were eligible for the women’s division if their passports said they were female.

Some reports took the IBA saying Khelif has XY chromosomes to speculate that the fighter might have DSD. However, the BBC was not able to confirm whether this was or was not the case.

Last week it was announced that Lin could return to women’s sport after passing a sex test.

At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, all three medallists in the women’s 800m, including winner Semenya, were DSD athletes, intensifying calls for tighter rules.

World Athletics then insisted that for track events from 400m up to the mile, DSD athletes must reduce their testosterone levels in order to be eligible.

Semenya refused, arguing it was an infringement of her human rights and discriminatory.

Amid a long legal battle, World Athletics’ made its rules stricter in 2023.

/ @lockedoncollegefootball  

Are you ready for the Minnesota Vikings to draft a dynamic young running back for the first time in eons? The club took a step in the right direction this week, meeting with rookie tailback Jonah Coleman.

The Vikings keep doing homework on this deep 2026 running back class, and that is excellent.

Coleman is considered the third- or fourth-best running back in this year’s class, and there’s a small chance that he transfers his purple uniform from Washington to Minnesota.

Coleman Fits Minnesota’s Search for Backfield Juice

The Vikings have nine draft picks in 2026.

Vikings Meet with Coleman

In all likelihood, the Vikings will draft a halfback somewhere in April’s draft, and the franchise now has a meeting with Coleman on record.

SI.com‘s Will Ragatz wrote this week, “The Vikings will host Coleman on a Top 30 visit, per Arye Pulli. The former Arizona and Washington standout has recorded over 1,100 yards from scrimmage in each of the last three seasons and scored 27 touchdowns in 25 games for the Huskies.”

“He’s been an efficient college runner who can also catch the ball (87 career receptions) and pass protect. There’s a lot to like about Coleman, but he’s also undersized at 5’9″ and isn’t particularly explosive.”

At the moment, Coleman is projected as a 3rd-Round pick, and Minnesota has two of those in the chamber.

A Superb Landing Spot

In Minnesota — if the Vikings press the button on Coleman — he’ll strut into a wonderful situation, not oozing with the pressure of an immediate RB1. The Vikings have Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones back in 2026, and they figure to take the bulk of rushing attempts next year if healthy.

With a man like Coleman, he can mature for a season as the RB3, be promoted to RB2 if an injury emerges — it probably will — or win the RB1 job outright if he’s that damn effective at training camp and in the preseason.

Coleman will also have offensive teammates as weapons, including Kyler Murray, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and the aforementioned running backs. The spot is ideal for Coleman, and he might be ideal for the Vikings.

The Green Bay Packers could give Coleman a peek, as well.

Zone Coverage‘s Mitch Widmeier on Coleman to Green Bay: “A true three-down back with the Huskies, Coleman could be an every-down back if he reaches his ceiling in the NFL. For Green Bay specifically, two things stand out. Coleman had a grand total of two fumbles in 551 career rushing attempts. That covers two years with Arizona and another two with Washington. Coleman protects the football as well as any college running back has in the last four years.”

“If you want to play running back in Green Bay, you need to protect the rock, have some capability to pass block, and possess a certain level of character. Check, check, and check. Coleman could be selected as early as Round 2, or he could fall into Round 4. If nobody selects him in the second round, he will be an awfully tempting option for Green Bay.

Coleman’s Scouting Report

Coleman is 5’8″, 220 pounds, has 4.5 speed, and has a style similar to Ray Rice from the Baltimore Ravens (without the spotty reputation) 15 years ago. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, and he scored 27 touchdowns at Washington in the last two years.

NFL Draft Buzz on Coleman’s rookie profile: “Coleman is not going to test his way into a higher draft slot, and his game does not need him to. His vision between the tackles finds creases before they fully develop, and his patience within zone schemes lets linemen finish their work before he commits.”

“He averaged over five yards per carry in 2024 behind an offensive line ranked 105th nationally in run-blocking grade, which speaks louder than any combine drill. Zone-heavy offenses are the natural fit. Where Coleman separates from other power backs in this class is ball security paired with receiving ability. One fumble across 396 career touches keeps you on the field in December.”

Power backs who can act as receivers are somewhat rare.

NDB added, “He caught 31 passes for 354 yards in 2025 and looked comfortable on underneath routes, giving coordinators the option of leaving him in on passing downs. Pass protection needs refinement; he brings effort against blitzers but his technique is still developing.”

“His floor is a reliable early-down grinder who handles 15 to 20 touches and controls tempo without putting the ball on the ground. His ceiling is a three-down back in a system that values patience over home-run speed.”

The Alternatives

Assume the Vikings want a rookie running back, Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love isn’t available, and a different team picks Coleman. These would be the options before the end of Round 5:

• Jadarian Price (Notre Dame)
• Mike Washington Jr. (Arkansas)
• Emmett Johnson (Nebraska)
• Nick Singleton (Penn State)
• Kaytron Allen (Penn State)
• Demond Claiborne (Wake Forest)

The Vikings have also formally met with Johnson from Nebraska and Claiborne of Wake Forest.

Coleman will turn 23 in August. Minnesota hasn’t drafted a game-changing running back since Dalvin Cook, and that was nine years ago.

Pickleball in India is quietly but steadily moving beyond its tag as a casual, recreational sport and turning into a serious competitive discipline. The Indian Pickleball Association’s recognition as the National Sports Federation has played a key role in this shift, bringing much-needed structure and credibility to the sport.

With systems like rankings, organised tournaments, and grassroots initiatives now in place, pickleball is beginning to build a proper pathway for players across the country. Coupled with rising participation and growing interest from brands and investors, the sport is not just spreading rapidly but also starting to establish India as a credible force on the global stage.

In an exclusive and freewheeling conversation with Sportskeeda, the President of the IPA, Suryaveersingh Bullar, opens up on the pickleball ecosystem in India and why he thinks the sport could become a potential Olympic medal opportunity for the country in the future:

Q1. The Indian Pickleball Association recently gained NSF (National Sports Federation) status. How does this milestone change the structure of the sport?

The granting of NSF status is the most significant milestone for any sport. With IPA becoming the sole governing authority, it allows us to push for inclusion in programs like Khelo India, university competitions, and the School Games Federation of India, as well as explore integration into the CBSE sporting system.

This recognition ensures athletes receive the same prestige as those in traditional sports, while also opening doors to government grants, SAI training facilities, and eligibility for honours like the Arjuna Award.

Importantly, it brings standardisation and governance. We are implementing national standards, certification programs, and have launched a coaching certification. We are also working towards referee certification and setting up an equipment testing lab in India to support local manufacturing and quality control.

Q2. Where does pickleball stand in India today, and what is your long-term vision?

Over the past year, pickleball in India has transitioned from a niche recreational activity into a high-growth performance sport. The IPA has driven this through structured ranking tournaments, international representation, and high-performance centres.

But this is just the beginning. We believe pickleball has the potential to bring India an Olympic medal once it is included in the Games. Our vision is to make India a top-three global powerhouse, with athletes capable of winning medals at the Asian Games and Olympics.

Q3. What steps are being taken to grow the sport beyond metro cities and at the grassroots level?

We are working aggressively to take pickleball beyond metros. A key step is our partnership with Sports Gurukul to launch a national inter-school championship, leveraging a network of over 500 schools.

IPA operates across 27 states, and we are focusing on district-level expansion to identify talent in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. We are also promoting portable nets, allowing any flat surface to become a pickleball court, making the sport highly accessible.

Efforts to integrate pickleball into Khelo India will further accelerate grassroots growth.

Q4. How is IPA building a talent pipeline to compete globally?

We have established a structured development framework anchored by a transparent ranking system and a tiered tournament structure from district to national level.

High-performance centres provide elite coaching, while international exposure remains a priority. India’s seventh-place finish at the Pickleball World Cup (among 78 nations) highlights our progress.

Our partnership with the US Open gives national champions direct entry, bypassing the lottery system. Additionally, a dedicated selection committee scouts talent nationwide and supports players with training, sponsorships, and international opportunities.

Q5. What does the IPA tournament roadmap look like over the next 12–18 months?

The structure includes IPA-run state tournaments culminating in the annual Nationals, alongside a rapidly growing calendar of IPA-sanctioned events.

We conducted around 110 tournaments last year and expect to nearly double that. The Indian Open is now an IPA-sanctioned global event, and discussions are underway to host the first Asian Pickleball Championship in India, potentially featuring over 18 countries.

Indian teams will also compete in global events like the World Cup, the US Open, and the amateur EPIC World Championship in Singapore.

Q6. Are there plans to collaborate with schools, colleges, or private leagues to accelerate adoption?

Yes, collaboration is central to our strategy. The Indian Pickleball League (IPBL), held in Delhi and sanctioned by IPA, was a major success and significantly boosted the sport’s visibility.

We have also launched the national inter-school championship with Sports Gurukul and are exploring inter-college competitions. These initiatives are helping us build a strong ecosystem and drive widespread participation.

Q7. Infrastructure is a key challenge for emerging sports. How is IPA addressing this?

Infrastructure is always a challenge, but pickleball’s growth has led to courts emerging across the country. IPA is partnering with private facilities to use them as training and awareness centres.

We are also in talks with sponsors to set up high-performance centres and with the Sports Authority of India to establish academies within existing stadiums. Since pickleball requires relatively less space, we are confident of expanding infrastructure rapidly over the next two years.

Q8. What does the professional pathway look like for a young player in India today?

A young player today can enter through district-level tournaments, progress through state rankings, and eventually compete at the IPA Nationals.

From there, standout performers gain access to high-performance centres, national camps, and international exposure. With structured rankings, scouting systems, and global tournament pathways, the route to becoming a professional athlete in pickleball is now clearly defined.

Q9. How do you see the commercial side of pickleball evolving in India? What role will leagues like IPBL play?

Pickleball is growing strongly as a commercial sport. It offers excellent returns on investment due to its accessibility and appeal across age groups.

Leagues like the IPBL have already elevated the sport’s profile with broadcast backing and team ownership from major business houses. Going forward, the IPBL can play a role similar to the IPL – creating opportunities for players, coaches, referees, brands, and sponsors, while driving the sport’s overall growth.

Q10. What is your message to young athletes considering pickleball?

Whether you dream of representing India at the Pickleball World Cup, the US Open, or even the Olympics in the future, the IPA is here to support you. The infrastructure is growing, the system is in place, and the opportunities are expanding.

Grab a paddle, your journey to the top starts now!