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Sports

Eight franchises gear up for Centre Court Pickleball League Season 2

hellohimachalse@gmail.com 16 Oct 2026 1 hour ago

Hyderabad: The Centre Court Pickleball League (CCPL) will begin its second season in Hyderabad on Sunday, October 18, with eight franchises competing across seven league match days ahead of the playoffs on December 5 and the championship final on December 12.

Chargers will host the opening day at Centre Court Pickleball Arena, The League, in the Financial District, with matches scheduled across two courts. Defending champions Mavericks will face Titans on Centre Court at 4 pm, while Dasos Dynamos take on The Raptors on the second court. At 8 pm, Chargers will meet Starry Smashers on Centre Court, while All Stars face Keerthi Warriors on the second court.

The eight franchises enter the new season with a mix of returning players and pre-auction signings. Defending champions Mavericks will be captained by Sreekar Mothukuri, while Sameer Varma will lead All Stars and Nikhil Tummalapalli will captain Titans. Nikit M Reddy will lead Chargers, Karunesh Reddy The Raptors, Vivek Reddy Priyadarshini Dasos Dynamos, Abhaya Vemuri Starry Smashers and Gopinath Reddy Keerthi Warriors.

More than 200 players registered for Season 2, with 73 bought at auction and seven pre-auction signings completing an 80-player field comprising 53 men and 27 women. The purse for each franchise has doubled from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh this season. Teams were also allowed to sign one player before the auction for ₹3 lakh, adding another strategic dimension to squad building.

“The larger purse gave franchises more room to build their squads, and the auction showed how differently each team approached that opportunity. Established players attracted strong bids, but teams also invested in emerging talent. The opening weekend is our first chance to see how those decisions translate on court,” said Vikrant Rao, co-founder of Centre Court Sports and Entertainment.

Since its launch, the league has attracted prominent figures from Indian sport and Telugu cinema to its franchise ownership groups. Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal has joined Keerthi Warriors as co-owner, while former badminton world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth has joined Nandi Chargers as an investor and partner. Actor Sushanth Anumolu is the owner of All Stars, while filmmaker and actor Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam has joined The Raptors as co-owner alongside Kaushik Manepalli and Divya Priyanka Reddy.

“Hyderabad is where we began, and Season 1 gave us a lot to build on. People came for the matches, followed particular teams and returned through the season. For Season 2, we’ve put more thought into the full match-day experience, from the competition to the music and food, so there’s a reason to spend the evening at the league,” said Yashwanth Biyyala, co-founder of Centre Court Sports and Entertainment.

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