India Names 10-Player Squad for 2026 US Open Pickleball Championships

The Indian Pickleball Association named a 10-player squad for the 2026 US Open Pickleball Championships on March 30, and the group arrives in Naples with something most international players don't get: guaranteed court access, no lottery required.

The IPA secured a direct-entry arrangement through a formal partnership with US Open organizers, bypassing the draw system that governs access for most participants. The selected athletes are Mihika Yadav, Arjun Singh, Purvansh Patel, Aditya Singh, Naga Moksha, Jeet Sood, Yuvraj Singh, Panth Thakkar, Atharva Sheth, and IPA president Suryaveer Singh Bhullar, who will compete in age-group brackets in addition to his role leading the federation. Dhiren Patel serves as coach and will also compete in age-group events.

Among the selections, Naga Moksha draws immediate attention as the current Under-18 Girls national champion. Her inclusion at the US Open, which runs April 11-18 in Naples, Florida, puts India's top junior female talent on one of the highest-profile stages in the global game.

IPA president Suryaveer Singh Bhullar framed the opportunity as more than a one-off result, emphasizing that the US Open gives players "invaluable experience" ahead of additional international competition in Singapore and Vietnam later in 2026. The Naples trip is the first leg of what shapes up as a significant international calendar for Indian pickleball this year.

For the wider sport, the direct-entry deal carries structural weight. It signals that emerging national federations can negotiate formal institutional access to marquee events rather than cycling their best players through the same lottery as recreational participants. That shift opens a cleaner development pathway between national bodies and the tournament infrastructure that hosts the world's best players.

The Singapore and Vietnam stops that follow make Naples less a destination and more a starting gun.