Pickle and roll as Eurosport India serves up a new sport

MUMBAI: From baseline battles to kitchen-line skirmishes, a new racket sport is bouncing onto Indian screens. Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that its premium sports channel Eurosport India will add pickleball to its broadcast roster from 2026, signalling a clear bet on one of the world’s fastest-growing sports.

The move kicks off with exclusive coverage of World Pickleball League Season 2, set to run from 24 January to 8 February 2026 at Jio World Garden in Mumbai. The tournament is expected to draw top international players, reflecting pickleball’s rapid rise from backyard curiosity to competitive global circuit.

For Eurosport India, the addition is less a novelty and more a strategic play. The channel has increasingly positioned itself as a home for emerging global sports, pairing premium production with long-term storytelling rather than one-off event drops. Pickleball, with its quick rallies, accessible format and growing fan base, fits neatly into that vision.

Warner Bros. Discovery SVP and managing director for India and South Asia Arjun Nohwar said the sport’s inclusion extends the network’s effort to build the “next generation” of sports in India, with sustained visibility and consistent coverage at its core.

From the league’s perspective, the partnership marks another step in rapid expansion. WPBL Season 2 will feature players from 18 nations, selected from registrations spanning more than 25 countries, alongside an expanded slate of live matches and a sharper focus on sportainment. World Pickleball League founder and CEO Gaurav Natekar described the broadcast tie-up as a natural progression that opens the league to millions of new viewers.

With Mumbai hosting the action and Eurosport India beaming it nationwide, pickleball’s Indian innings is about to begin. For viewers, it’s a fresh sport with familiar broadcast polish; for the market, another sign that new-age sports are no longer fringe acts, but ready for centre court.