Photo Credits to: Up Words (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1511612380972207&set=a.507624008037721)
WPBL Season 2 isn’t easing in. It’s arriving like a festival that just happens to have elite pickleball at its core. The league is back at Mumbai’s Jio World Garden for a January 24–February 8 window, and it’s bigger by design. Seven franchises. A packed match calendar. A global player mix. And a distribution plan built for phones as much as seats.
The intent is obvious: WPBL is trying to make pickleball feel less niche and more like a headline sport experience.
Celebrity Heat, Then Competitive Fire
Season 2 opened on January 24 with a Celebrity Pickleball Showdown (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1511612380972207&set=a.507624008037721), putting franchise co-owners on court and turning the launch night into a spectacle.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Atlee, Riteish Deshmukh, Rakul Preet Singh, and Jackky Bhagnani were among the headliners who stepped into the arena alongside players from their teams. Rishabh Pant, Sunil Gavaskar, and Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh are also part of the celebrity ownership group behind the seven franchises this season.
WPBL founder and CEO Gaurav Natekar summed up the vibe ahead of the opener: “With the energy of Jio World Garden and fans right on top of the action, it promises to create a special atmosphere for everyone involved.”
It’s a smart hook. Celebrity visibility brings attention early. The league’s format is built to earn repeat viewing.
The Numbers That Define This Season
WPBL Season 2 leans into volume and that changes everything for momentum. The season features 120 matches (https://fieldvision.co.in/2026/01/29/mumbai-pickle-power-commence-wpbl-season-2-campaign-in-captivating-style-with-a-2-3-thriller-against-dilli-dillwale/) across 13 days, with 56 players representing 18 nations. That’s an increase from 90 matches in Season 1, a jump that signals expansion rather than repetition.
A schedule this dense creates pressure-cooker storylines. Teams don’t have time to “grow into” the tournament. Players don’t get long stretches to reset. Every tie matters because the next one arrives fast. For viewers, it also means pickleball becomes daily programming - more like a league habit than a one-off event.
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