Organise a Pickleball Tournament in India

To organise a pickleball tournament in India, fix four things first: the format, the number of courts, the entry fee and how you collect it. Everything else (fixtures, scoring, prizes) follows from those four. This guide walks through each step with real numbers, so your first event runs on time.

Pickleball is the fastest growing racquet sport in the country. India went from about 200 courts in early 2024 to more than 1,200 by March 2025, according to Finshots. New players want to compete, and most cities still have only a handful of well-run tournaments. That gap is your opportunity.

1. Pick a Format That Fits Your Courts

The best format for a first pickleball tournament is a group stage followed by a knockout. Every team gets at least three matches, and the knockout gives you a clear champion by the end of the day.

The common options:

• Knockout (single elimination): lose once and you are out. Fast, but half the field plays only one match. Fine for 8 teams and a short window.
• Group + Knockout: teams play everyone in their group, then the top two from each group go into a knockout bracket. This is the format most amateur events use, and players get value for their entry fee.
• Round robin only: everyone plays everyone. Good for 4 to 6 teams or a social evening, but it gets long fast. Eight teams means 28 matches.

Run doubles unless you have a reason not to. Most recreational players in India play doubles, and you need half as many courts per player.

2. Check the Pickleball Court Size and Setup

A standard pickleball court is 20 feet wide and 44 feet long (6.10 m by 13.41 m), the same size for singles and doubles. Check every court at your venue against these numbers before you book, because converted badminton or tennis courts are not always marked correctly.