India’s MetaShot and Yudiz launch smart pickleball game
MetaShot and Yudiz turned pickleball into a motion game, with a U.S. launch due first and India next, as the sport’s base in India keeps widening.
Pickleball’s next growth push in India may come through a console, not a court. Bengaluru-based MetaShot joined with Yudiz Solutions to build what it called the world’s first smart pickleball game, a title designed for MetaShot’s motion-gaming platform and pitched as an exclusive way to translate on-court movement into play at home.
The launch matters because it pushes pickleball beyond the usual sports-business lane of courts, leagues and rackets. MetaShot, founded in 2021 by Prince Thomas, Ranjit Kumar Behera and Ajith Sunny, built its name around the MetaShot Smart Bat, a product the company says tracks real-world shots and recreates them in virtual gameplay. The new pickleball title extends that model into a sport that is still building recognition in India and across Asia, where a digital entry point could help younger players learn the basics before they ever register for a tournament.
MetaShot is also treating the game as part of a larger platform play. Reporting on the launch said the company is opening its motion-gaming platform to external developers, with a developer funding programme in the pipeline. That makes the pickleball title more than a one-off product: it suggests MetaShot wants to turn sports gaming into a broader content ecosystem, with pickleball as one of the first examples. The company has already raised Rs 11 crore, reported in January 2025, underscoring that it has been moving quickly from startup idea to funded sports-tech business.
The rollout is set to begin in the United States in Q3 FY26 before arriving in India. That order is telling. It shows MetaShot sees pickleball not only as an Indian opportunity but as part of a larger international market where casual sports products, motion sensors and family gaming have room to scale. If the format works, it could become a template for how Indian sports-tech companies package niche sports for screens first and courts second.
The timing also fits a sport that is growing fast on the ground. The Indian Pickleball Association says it is the national federation for the sport in India and claims more than 50,000 players, 100-plus ranking tournaments and coverage across 27 states. A 2025 report put India’s court count at more than 1,000. On top of that, the Indian Pickleball League is scheduled to debut in December 2025, backed by the Indian Pickleball Association and The Times Group. Against that backdrop, MetaShot and Yudiz are betting that the fastest way to widen pickleball participation may be to make it playable before it is physical.
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