Rallying in style for pickleball

The social aspect of the game makes it popular and a perfect canvas for fashion—brands are trying to cash in on this

- Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran

In July, to promote the latest season of their show, the cast of OTT series Panchayat chose to swap the rustic settings of their village for a pickleball court. The actors turned up in pickleball-core: Neena Gupta in a matching white shirt and pleated skirt layered with a green sleeveless sweater vest; Jeetendra Kumar in a white shirt, cardigan and track pants; and Sanvikaa, in a blue mini dress. It was proof enough that pickleball fashion is a "thing" now.

Created in 1965 in Washington, pickleball can be described as a tennis-badminton-table tennis hybrid. Abhinav Shankar, co-founder of Go Rally, a Bengaluru-based premier pickleball arena chain, attributes the popularity of the sport to its accessibility and social nature. "Whether it is in terms of ease of learning or courts available to play, pickleball is extremely accessible. This easiness also makes it a social sport that families or groups of friends can play while barely knowing the rules," explains Shankar.