Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam has its team for the 2026 Indian Pickleball Association Nationals. Winners across 16 categories secured their spots during trials held October 31 and November 1 at Stryde Arena in Guwahati. The event drew players from Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Silchar, and Guwahati. The Assam Pickleball Association organized the competition alongside Kaziranga Pro Sports Network, landing a PWR 400 grade from the national body.
Partha Pratim Dutta claimed the open men's singles title. Neer Arohan Medhi won the boys' under-14 singles. Other singles victors included Vinayak Thakur in men's 30+, Deepanjan Deb in 40+, Ashish Jain in 50+, and Venkatachalam Gopalan in 60+. On the women's side, Manaswinee Hazarika took the 30+ title and Nazneen Rahman won the 40+ category. Parashmani Das earned the title of most promising player.
Doubles action saw Harsh and Kavya Bagrodia win the open mixed doubles, while Udipta Gogoi and Vinayak Thakur grabbed the men's 30+ crown. Deepanjan Deb and Harsh Bagrodia topped the men's 40+ bracket, and Shibasish Dutta Gupta teamed with Ashish Jain for the 50+ win. In mixed play, Upasana Nath and Vinayak Thakur took the open title, Manaswinee Hazarika and Udipta Gogoi claimed the 30+ crown, and Nazneen Rahman paired with Debasish Borah to win the 40+ event.
Vinayak Thakur led the field with three total titles. Multiple players including Hazarika, Rahman, Bagrodia, Deb, and Gogoi secured two wins each. Association secretary Nazneen Rahman believes the depth of talent is climbing. "Every month, we welcome new players into the community, and these selection trials have demonstrated how deeply the sport has travelled across the districts, with emerging talent raising the bar," Rahman said. The team now turns its attention to training for the national championships.
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