Inside Chennai’s Pickleball boom: From midnight games to thriving WhatsApp communities

The game brought them close. Pickleball WhatsApp groups brought them closer.

Vikram Chandrasekar, co-owner, Baseline, Chennai’s latest pickleball facility, says that when he was going through a rough patch, his pickleball community was his support system. Little acts of kindness like bringing him food, or just confiding in them made a difference. “At 50, it’s hard to make friends, but I made some really great ones through pickleball,” says Vikram.

“The sport is very social, so the idea was to see if we could build something that could fit into people’s lives. Not just a court rental space, but somewhere families could come and hang. That’s why we decided to have the Gobbelin cafe and a co-working space,” Vikram says, adding that hospitality and community can co-exist around sport as an anchor. “People come here, set up their laptops to work. They take a break in between, play a game or two and get back to work.”

The courts at Baseline, Gandhi Nagar
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Baseline, in Gandhi Nagar, follows a membership model, different from the pay as you play concept that most courts offer. It comprises three tournament grade courts, a store for equipment, and a viewing deck/ fitness area on the first floor. A group of women are at play, the oldest of whom is 73 years. There is a little lawn on the outside where the court’s guard dog, Bouncer, lazes in the afternoon sun. “I want to use this space to host community events like Sunday markets, pickleball mixers, brunch,” says Vikram.

Rallying around

At Serv, T Nagar, three 28-year-olds are at the helm of things. Best friends and now business partners — Varun Prashant, Siddharth Sekhar, and Manav Subramanian — initially planned to start a cloud kitchen.

Then, they discovered pickleball. From six people booking on the day of launch in December 2025, they saw the numbers rise to 43 bookings a day, in no time. By end of the month, Serv will launch Bold cafe in partnership with restaurateur Sandesh Reddy, thereby incorporating both the passion of the founders: food and sport.

A game in progress at Serv, T Nagar
| Photo Credit:
VELANKANNI RAJ B

“Our vision was to have a premium facility with a community-first approach. A place where people come together for either sports, recovery or wellness. The recovery room will have an ice bath, sauna, a stretching area, and massage guns. At Bold, you can have a clean nutritious meal after a game and wrap up your day. This is a social wellness brand and we wish to take it across the State,” says Varun. There are four pickleball courts here and one padel court. “We are open till midnight and once the cafe comes up we will try to keep the facility open till 2am,” says Varun. They also plan to host events for the community. Think: singles events, mixed doubles tournaments, yoga day, live music. 

“Our customers are recurring ones. Certain groups come everyday. People come with their kids and families. This has become a hangout,” says Siddharth, pleased with the development.

The bulk of the players at Serv are in the 20-40 age bracket. These include novices, intermediates, and professionals. Those who want to improve their game play with the expert groups, or play a leisure game with other groups. They find people of the same level of skill.

The reason that pickleball is so popular, Manav believes is because the entry barrier is low. “It’s less technical than other racket sports, easier to pick up. A lot of people want to be part of a larger community. Pickleball fits in well. It’s a new sport so no one really has a massive advantage of having played for a longer period. As a group you move together to an intermediate stage. That learning curve brings people together,” says Manav.

Dink, bond, laugh

People get together for a snack after a game at Winkin ALM, Injambakkam
| Photo Credit:
Johan Sathyadas

To build this community further, many courts are planned with cafes and coworking spaces attached. The growing list includes Pickle & Chill and Crafe in Anna Nagar, Serv in T Nagar, Baseline in Gandhi Nagar, Madras Blend & Brews in Purusaiwalkam… Shamugaraj Thangaraj, perhaps one of the earliest to start this trend with Egco-Winkin in Anna Nagar last March, almost feels like a proud parent as he watches different people from different walks come together to play, forming bonds that continue well beyond the courts.

“Pickleball made me social,” says Hasnain Kapadia, a self-confessed introvert. “Once I started playing at Winkin, my circle of friends grew,” he says. Evenings spent playing video games at home have been replaced with competitive matches and dinner with fellow picklers. There is even a trip to Bengaluru in the works, where the group plans to play, eat, and chill.

Different age groups play together at Winkin, Injambakkam
| Photo Credit:
Johan Sathyadas

Chennai is now criss-crossed by Pickleball WhatsApp groups, where members decide when to play, and where to meet afterwards — for a meal, a movie, or even a weekend getaway. It has never been easier to make friends in a city often described as reserved.

With easily 40 to 100 people in these groups, there is always someone to pick up the paddle and rally with. “It’s great for building contacts, and in my case, it also helped with my business as I met potential clients here,” adds Shanmugaraj, who co-owns Winkin courts across the city including at Injambakkam and Anna Nagar. The next one is coming up in Neelankarai where Cafe Trotter will brew coffee. “We want to set up courts in every area. The idea is, if you are part of Winkin, you should be able to play anywhere,” he says.

In the last 11 months, Winkin Anna Nagar has managed to get a sizeable number of players, a steady growth from the 100 who came in the first two months. According to their database, atleast 1,700 people have played atleast twice at their Anna Nagar court. They have also launched three tournaments. “The last tournament happened at the Injambakkam court and had 100 participants. People also turned up to support the competitors. It felt like a huge family event,” smiles Shanmugaraj.

Shanmugaraj Thangaraj
| Photo Credit:
Johan Sathyadas

When 23-year-old Sanu Raghav moved from Coimbatore to Chennai for work, he said it was difficult to make friends. “Chennai wasn’t completely new to me, but starting fresh as a working professional is very different from being a student. Social circles are already formed. There was definitely a sense of loneliness,” he says. 

Soon, Sanu took up pickleball. “Once I started playing regularly, conversations happened naturally. There was no pressure, just people meeting over a shared interest. I formed genuine friendships,” he says. “There’s a feeling of belonging, of being accepted for who you are. Over time, it genuinely began to feel like a second family.”

Baseline
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement