Who Introduced Pickleball to India | Sunil Valavalkar| The Inner Athlete episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 20, 2026 · 1H 30M

Who Introduced Pickleball to India | Sunil Valavalkar| The Inner Athlete

from The Inner Athlete · host The Inner Athlete

He was in Canada in 1999. He played a sport he'd never heard of. And when he came back to India — he forgot about it.Until 2006, when a single coaching instruction brought it all back.Today, Sunil Vallabhalkar is the man who introduced Pickleball to India — and the sport is growing at 300% per year.In this episode, we talk about:🏓 How pickleball started & came to India🏢 Why corporate entity structure (Section 8) is the key to building a sport💼 Entrepreneurial opportunities — courts, coaching, equipment, sports tourism👩 Why pickleball is the most feminist sport in India🎓 Career options for youth through pickleball coaching🇮🇳 Pan-India growth — from Mumbai to Gadchiroli

He was in Canada in 1999. He played a sport he'd never heard of. And when he came back to India — he forgot about it.Until 2006, when a single coaching instruction brought it all back.Today, Sunil Vallabhalkar is the man who introduced Pickleball to India — and the sport is growing at 300% per year.In this episode, we talk about:🏓 How pickleball started & came to India🏢 Why corporate entity structure (Section 8) is the key to building a sport💼 Entrepreneurial opportunities — courts, coaching, equipment, sports tourism👩 Why pickleball is the most feminist sport in India🎓 Career options for youth through pickleball coaching🇮🇳 Pan-India growth — from Mumbai to Gadchiroli

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Who Introduced Pickleball to India | Sunil Valavalkar| The Inner Athlete

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He was in Canada in 1999. He played a sport he'd never heard of. And when he came back to India — he forgot about it.Until 2006, when a single coaching instruction brought it all back.Today, Sunil Vallabhalkar is the man who introduced Pickleball to...

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