India, Aug. 5 -- For a sport that exploded in popularity across the world during the Covid pandemic, pickleball remains in its formative years in India. Yet its rise has been remarkable, drawing participants across age groups and backgrounds. The first major step in giving that boom a structured foundation came last year when the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA) received National Sports Federation (NSF) recognition.

Since then, the IPA has sanctioned more than 150 tournaments, conducted the country's first Nationals and launched the inaugural Indian Pickleball League last December. But the federation believes the next phase of growth lies beyond franchise leagues, by building the sport's ecosystem from the ground up.

The NSF recognit...