Vineet Jain plays pickleball at KIIT, spotlighting India’s growing sport push

Vineet Jain did more than show up at KIIT University. The Times Group managing director stepped onto the pickleball court in Bhubaneswar, and that kind of public backing matters because it signals that one of India’s most visible media power brokers is willing to put his name, and his presence, behind the sport.

Jain’s appearance came as KIIT prepared to host the 61st Femina Miss India Grand Finale on its Bhubaneswar campus on April 18, with 30 state winners arriving on April 13 to a rousing reception. KIIT said the association reflects its commitment to women’s empowerment and inclusive education, and the university thanked Jain, Times Group CEO Rohit Gopakumar and the Femina Miss India team for selecting the campus. The setting gave pickleball an unusual but useful backdrop: a high-profile pageant stage, a major university brand and a national spotlight for Odisha.

That matters because pickleball in India is no longer just a celebrity novelty or a social-media curiosity. Jain and The Times Group have already helped build the sport’s infrastructure story. In March 2024, The Times Group and Pickleball Asia launched the Pickleball World Series, a six-event global series, and the company said it was an anchor investor in PWR, an initiative aimed at unifying the global pickleball community. Jain also said in 2024 that pickleball was gaining ground as the game for urban sports enthusiasts and hoped it would inspire exponential growth globally, including in India.

The on-court moment at KIIT fits that trajectory. The Times Group and PWR hosted the DUPR India Masters at Delhi’s RK Khanna Tennis Stadium in October 2024, giving India a more formal competitive showcase. Later, the Indian Pickleball League announced five city-based franchises ahead of its inaugural season, scheduled for December 1 to 7, 2025 in New Delhi, another sign that the sport is trying to move from event-based buzz to a clearer competition calendar.

For pickleball, the message is simple: media visibility is being turned into institutional credibility. When Jain plays at KIIT during a national event, the sport is not just borrowing glamour. It is borrowing reach, sponsor confidence and the kind of recognition that can push more campuses, more cities and more brands to treat pickleball as a serious part of India’s sporting landscape.