India secures fourth place at 2026 Pickleball World Cup with 41 medals

Indian team at pickleball World Cup (Pic: ANI)

India secured a respectable fourth-place finish among 82 competing countries at the recently concluded Pickleball World Cup in Vietnam, winning 41 medals, including seven golds, 17 silvers, and 17 bronzes.

The 2026 campaign represented a major leap forward for the nation, which finished seventh at the previous edition. India fielded a 48-athlete delegation across the Kids, Juniors, Open, Seniors, and Masters team events under the official Indian Team banner.

"The Indian contingent has achieved tremendous results in the 2026 World Cup, and the entire Indian Pickleball Association would like to congratulate every single member of the delegation. Your hard work and dedication have made it seamless for IPA to continue our commitment towards global excellence." Indian Pickleball Association CEO Aditya Khanna said.

"Ending up in 4th place is a huge statement to make, and I'm sure that we will definitely be aiming for an even higher spot next edition. Once again, congratulations to the entire Indian contingent, and we now set our eyes on improving grassroots pickleball within India to empower many more such talents to make a mark on the global stage," he added.

Standout performances from Indian pickleball stars

Led by captain Arjun Singh, the Juniors squad placed fourth after dropping their quarterfinal match to hosts Vietnam. The team, featuring Aditya Singh, Dev Shah, Purvansh Patel, Vivan Patel, Naomi Amalsadiwala, Ashritha Raju, and Diya Mattipati, fought hard in the bronze medal playoff.

In the Open category, captain Harsh Mehta led a squad comprising Arjun Singh, Anish Frolian, Aman Patel, Naomi Amalsadiwala, Pearl Amalsadiwala, Mihika Yadav, and Aaliya Ebrahim to the quarterfinals, where they bowed out 2-4 against eventual finalists USA.

The Masters roster featured Bhushan Akut, Thakurdas Rohira, and Ajeet Bhardwaj, while the Seniors squad, comprising Suryaveer Singh Bhullar, Atul Edward, Akhil Mathur, Nilesh Desai, Kiran Salian, Gaurika Chopra, Pearline Roopkumar, and Kavita Khanna, exited in the Round of 16 against New Zealand.

Individually, Harsh Mehta captured bronze in the Open Pro Men's Doubles, Purvansh Patel secured Gold in the U-18 Boys Singles, and Bhushan Akut won three golds across the 60+ Men's Singles, 60+ Mixed Doubles, and 60+ Men's Doubles alongside Ashok Rohira.

(With inputs from ANI)