Lucknow Leopards sponsor India for 2026 Pickleball World Cup
Lucknow Leopards backed India’s 2026 World Cup push in Gurgaon, then unveiled a Rs 10 lakh domestic championship built to feed the national pipeline.
On June 26, Lucknow Leopards pledged to sponsor Team India for the 2026 Pickleball World Cup in Da Nang and unveiled the official jersey the squad will wear in Vietnam at Picklebay Zonals North at Horizon X Courtplay in Gurgaon. The announcement came during the official Open-category selection pathway for India, tying the sponsorship directly to the trials that will decide who gets on the plane.
The Indian Pickleball Association is the official governing body for pickleball in India and is recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. It lists Lucknow Leopards as a sponsor of Team India’s Open category. Cosmic Birla Group is listed as sponsor for juniors and Electrorush as hydration partner, and players selected from the Pro category at the zonals will represent India in the Open category at the World Cup. The zonals ran from June 24 to 28 and carried a Rs 15 lakh prize purse across 28 categories.
At the 2025 Pickleball World Cup in Florida, India won 25 medals, including nine gold, eight silver and eight bronze, and finished seventh overall. That was the country’s best world-level performance and the only Asian finish in the top 10. The 2026 campaign is scheduled for August 30 to September 6 in Da Nang, the first time the championship will be hosted in Vietnam and in Asia.
The first Lucknow Leopards Championship is set for August 22 and 23 at Bennett University in Greater Noida. The PWR 700 event, part of the Road to IPBL series, carries a Rs 10 lakh prize pool and Rs 2 lakh in each of five professional categories: men’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. Bennett University came in as co-sponsor.
Siddhant Jatia said India needs “structured tournaments, credible ranking systems, quality infrastructure and clear athlete pathways to compete on the global stage.” IPA president Suryaveer Singh Bhullar said the zonals provide “a transparent, high-caliber environment to identify the country’s best talent.” The IPA’s separate junior World Cup selections were completed after trials in Ahmedabad from June 12 to 14.
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