Padel is gaining serious momentum in India and globally and is poised to become a USD 6.6 billion sport by 2026.

Cashing in on this surge is PadelPark India, which most recently teamed up with the Asia Pacific Padel Tour (APPT) to host the first-ever APPT Tournament in Mumbai. The event was conducted from 4-6 April 2025 at PadelPark Bandra, Mumbai. This tournament featured Indian and international talent.

The APPT Tournament in Mumbai was supported by brands such as IndusInd Bank, Landmark Group, DreamSetGo, Bokka, Fast&Up Reload, Caxton Sports, Soleus, Blue Nile, Stay Vista, SkyPadel India, UpUrFit, Red Bull, SuperYou, The Laundry Company, Fight The Sunrise, Brite Technology, and North Star.

Since launching in late 2023, PadelPark has built over 100 courts.

Founded in 2019 by Ronak Daftary, Nikhil Sachdev, Jigar Doshi, and Pratik Doshi, the company spans four key verticals: infrastructure and franchising, academy and training, retail and equipment, and competitive tournaments creating a full-fledged ecosystem.

From exclusive BullPadel distribution and structured coaching by Spanish veteran Victor Perez to launching India’s first professional padel league with JSW Sports (with Parth Jindal now a 20% stakeholder), PadelPark aims to grow the sport and define its future in the country.

To get a low down on the APPT collaboration, the rise of PadelPark, and why brands should back padel in India, we caught up with Nikhil Sachdev, co-founder and marketing head, PadelPark India, at the APPT tournament in Mumbai, this weekend.

Edited excerpts: 

PadelPark India has brought APPT to the country for the first time. What drove this move, and how do you see it shaping the sport's future in India?

We attended one of their events in Bali last October and found it a well-organised tournament with a strong level of play. Our primary motivation for getting involved is to give our players exposure to higher-quality matches. Many of the participants are eager to compete against stronger opponents to push their own game forward.

Our main objective is to continuously raise the standard of play. And it will only keep improving, especially with the International Padel Federation, the global governing body for the sport - planning to host more tournaments in India. The influx of better players is crucial. Ideally, we hope that, in time, some of our players will go on to compete on the international stage.

Given that the sport has been around for close to 50 years, what do you attribute the recent interest in padel to? 

The interest in padel isn’t just limited to India. It’s a global phenomenon. Some countries embraced it earlier. The UAE, Indonesia, and the Philippines were slightly ahead.

Their progress is impressive. In Dubai, there are likely over 250 courts. Across the Middle East, there are an estimated 600-1,000 courts. Padel has taken over.

In Europe, Spain and Italy were early adopters. Now, the UK is seeing the same boom as India. Courts are coming up all over Europe. Sweden already has over 1,000. France has many. Italy is big. Spain has over 4,000 courts, both new and established. In the US, especially Miami, it’s booming. Clubs are opening rapidly and the demand continues to outpace supply.

India may have had a late start, but it’s catching up quickly. With a large, active population, the potential is massive. Mumbai likely has around 30 courts, and over 15,000 people play recreationally.

The global surge accelerated during Covid. That was a major catalyst. But the real appeal lies in how social and accessible it is. It’s easy to start, hard to master but is addictive for everyone. Beginners have fun if their skill levels are similar. That’s why it’s spreading fast.

While there's interest in India, it's still among the niches. What has been PadelPark India’s core marketing strategy to drive awareness and adoption among Indian sports enthusiasts?

A lot of it is driven by social media - that’s just the nature of how marketing works these days. But to be honest, the first six months or so were all about word of mouth. If just one person started playing and called their friends to join, the numbers began to grow from there. It became more of a bonding activity - similar to how Pickleball caught on. It was a bit of a snowball effect that led to where things are today.

Now, Pickleball has grown with large tournaments and events, but it started just like padel.

While it may not overtake pickleball, India is uniquely placed for both to thrive. Unlike Europe, where padel leads, or the US, where pickleball dominates, India has room for both to grow together. For us, racquet sports have long been a strength thanks to strong coordination and interest in physical games.

Being one of the firsts, PadelPark has established itself as the leader in India’s padel infrastructure within a short span. What factors have contributed to this rapid growth, and what challenges have you faced along the way?

For us, as a company, the key advantage we had was our background - we (the co-founders) have been in the sports infrastructure business for the last 10–15 years. We were among the first in Mumbai to introduce concepts like fireside football. Today, there are thousands of turfs around, but ours was probably the first or second rooftop turf in the city.  

We have always liked venturing into uncharted territory, figuring things out, and bringing something new to the table. That’s what drives us - the belief that we can pioneer new ideas.

What’s encouraging now is that people are much more aware of the sports and recreation space, so it’s easier than it was back then. But access to space is still the biggest constraint in cities like Mumbai. That’s where we had a bit of an edge, being already part of the infrastructure ecosystem. Many of the locations we’ve opened came through existing relationships or prior projects, which made it easier to get started.

Outside Mumbai, though, this isn’t as much of an issue. A lot of people own small parcels of land and are keen on launching creative ventures like this. So the space constraint is more of a Mumbai-specific challenge. That said, access to prime spaces is tough in any city - even in smaller towns, it’s not easy to find the right spot.

Breaking that barrier is key. That’s where we believe our strength lies - in identifying great locations, closing deals, and then, beyond just building the facility, running it efficiently. Setting up infrastructure is only part of the journey. The real challenge is engaging the community and building something sustainable. If that step is skipped, we won’t succeed.

It was hard work no doubt about that but we’re proud of the strong community that’s grown in Mumbai. And we’re happy to have played a small role in making that happen.

With JSW Sports as a partner and Parth Jindal as a stakeholder, how does this association elevate PadelPark’s credibility and market reach?

Credibility plays a major role, especially as the sport transitions from a recreational activity to a more professional format. That’s when credibility starts to matter, particularly because officiating in sports can often be surrounded by controversy. In India, we have a unique opportunity - there’s no legacy baggage, so it can be done right from the very beginning, provided the right people are involved.

That’s precisely why we felt someone like Jindal was a strategic fit. His deep involvement with the Olympics and grassroots sports development made him ideal - he understands how to build a sport from the ground up, which is the kind of experience we needed. On the other hand, Jindal brings strong expertise on the professional side of sport, which complements the vision perfectly.

Also, the value of the court is 70% in the quality of the flooring, so having the right strategic partners helps us enormously. They’ve been instrumental in guiding product choices too. We’re manufacturing these courts through JSW Steel here in India under a Spanish licence and design from that company, which is another important part of what we’re building.

Many padel tournaments and leagues have recently come into the limelight. How does PadelPark stand out amongst players and brands who would like to invest?

We welcome all kinds of competition in this space because, without an increasing number of tournaments, there’s little value in what any of us are doing - players need to be challenged. While many people play recreationally, there’s a real desire to improve. Once you start playing regularly - two or three times a week, they naturally start getting better, and that’s where competition becomes vital.

Given that sports sponsorship in India is largely dominated by cricket, football, and kabaddi, how do you attract brands to invest in padel?

The sport is still new here, but if we look at the professional circuit and even private tournaments involving the top 20 players in the world, the level of sponsorship and brand exposure in those events is significant.

We're seeing major sporting and non-sporting brands stepping in. Let me offer a slightly unusual perspective. We’ve been involved in sports infrastructure for 15 years - football, cricket, and even dressing-room formats of cricket but all on an amateur level. And in all that time, we never had financial sponsors. Brands typically only invest in professional tournaments. But with our very first Padel tournament with just 25 teams, we managed to bring a sponsor on board. That speaks volumes.

Padel attracts a unique, premium clientele that’s hard to access through most sports. Golf is perhaps the only other sport that offers similar access to CXOs, high-net-worth individuals, and premium customers. For luxury brands looking to connect through sport, padel is a golden opportunity.

Just look around this APPT court (referring to the venue where this interview was conducted) top Indian brands like Dream11 and Landmark are already here. In the past, names like Cello and Raymond backed us too. They see the long-term value in supporting padel early, from grassroots coaching to local events, to build strong brand recognition before the sport explodes.

How does your franchising model work, and what kind of interest have you seen from investors and entrepreneurs looking to partner with PadelPark?

We get calls every day from across India. Many see how pickleball has grown and believe padel could follow or even outpace it. From a business perspective, particularly for centre owners, padel is far more lucrative. While pickleball is cheaper to set up, Padel offers better long-term returns.

Our franchise model is seeing strong traction. Two or three new centres are on the way - one in Bengaluru, likely others in Gujarat and Surat. Even folks in Thane are exploring franchise options.

We have a tight-knit group playing high-quality padel, and when international players drop in, everyone shows up, eager to improve and compete.

What role do influencer marketing and athlete-driven content play in making padel aspirational among young Indians? Are there any key collaborations in the pipeline?

Yes, we use influencer marketing as it’s effective and fits the times. Many fitness influencers already play padel and are genuinely excited about it. They often approach us, not the other way around, wanting to create content simply because it feels like the hottest sport right now.

This organic interest helps us a lot. We’re working closely with influencers and agencies, especially to grow awareness in tier two and tier three cities, where such content plays a key role in inspiring people by showing them what’s happening elsewhere.

What has been your most successful marketing campaign so far, and what insights did you gain from it?

It’s less about planned marketing and more about co-creating fun concepts with brands. A great example is our ‘Paddle Mixer’ with Bumble. Instead of meeting at a bar or café, people played padel, switching partners every 15–20 minutes in a playful, social format. We brought in coffee and health drink brands, making it a lively mixer that freshly showcased the sport and gained great traction on social media.

We’ve done similar partnerships, and some of our content has gone viral, crossing a million views. One upcoming campaign with YODA, an animal rescue charity, will end in a fundraiser. Celebrity and athlete visits also help, as their content spreads quickly. Many of them are getting more involved with the sport.

We’re also building educational content to teach people about padel, something that’s needed and part of our long-term focus.