At 8.30 am, we walk into PL Deshpande playground in Vile Parle East to find Swapnali Agre, 20, Kunal Bare, 21, and Ashish Mahajan, 21, engaged in what looks like a tennis match on a 20x44 ft badminton court. But, instead of the thump of a felt ball, we hear sharp, rhythmic music from a perforated plastic ball that bounces off Agre's racquet as she tries an underhand shot. "Hold the paddle tighter," Bare guides her, referring to the racquet, which resembles a bigger and rectangular version of a table tennis bat. The net is also tied much closer to the ground. This hybrid of lawn tennis, badminton and table tennis, is called pickleball.

A game in progress at PL Deshpande playground in Vile Parle East. Pics/Falguni Agarwal