Anand to host Sportify Dink Master 2026, 64-player IPA-sanctioned pickleball event

Anand is not Mumbai, Delhi or Bengaluru, and that is exactly why Sportify Dink Master 2026 matters. A 64-player, IPA-sanctioned PWR 100 event landing in Gujarat with an 85,000 prize pool says Indian pickleball is no longer growing only through the biggest metro hubs. It is now building a circuit that reaches deeper into regional centers, where sanctioned draws, not just casual weekends, can shape who climbs next.

The field is spread across four categories, Open Women’s Singles, Open Mixed Doubles, Open Men’s Singles and Open Men’s Doubles, which gives the tournament more than a single-shot feel. Punji Raval and Anshi Seth are entered in Women’s Singles and Mixed Doubles, while Aman Arora and Kaif Menon are set to contest Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Mahika Rathod, Nrug Patel and Mehul Khimani are also listed as multi-event players, a detail that matters because compressed draws reward depth, stamina and the ability to switch formats without losing rhythm.

That is the real significance of the Anand stop. A PWR 100 label is not window dressing, it is a ranking opportunity. PWR Global describes its system as a unified global ranking pathway built through the PWR World Tour, and the format is designed to feed points across singles, doubles and mixed play. In plain terms, this is how players turn one weekend into movement on the ladder, and how a regional event becomes useful to athletes, coaches and sponsors looking for measurable value rather than just a filled court sheet.

Gujarat’s case is strengthening around the event itself. The Indian Pickleball Association calls itself the government-recognized national governing body for pickleball in India, and its head office is in Ahmedabad, which makes Anand feel less like an isolated host and more like part of a state-level base of operations. The Gujarat State Pickleball Association, meanwhile, says it remains focused on promoting, developing and nurturing the sport in the state. Add in IPA’s affiliations with the Asian Pickleball Association and the Global Pickleball Federation, plus the report that PWR functions as India’s official National Sports Federation ranking, and the message is hard to miss: sanctioned play in Gujarat now carries institutional weight.

That backdrop matters because Indian pickleball is still young. The All India Pickleball Association says Sunil Valavalkar brought the game into India in 2008 and formed AIPA that same year. Seventeen years later, Anand hosting a 64-player PWR 100 event is more than a one-off calendar date. It is another sign that India’s competitive ladder is widening, and Gujarat is starting to look like a genuine stop on it.