What is Pickleball? Know about the sport MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant were seen playing in Dubai after IPL 2024 auction

The racquet sport is becoming popular rapidly across the world.

In a refreshing turn of events, Rishabh Pant, captain of the Indian Premier League outfit Delhi Capitals, was recently seen playing an interesting-looking racquet sport with the living legend and former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in Dubai. The duo met up in Dubai after the IPL 2024 auction and were seen having a belter of a time playing Pickleball.

The video where the pair are playing Pickleball has gone viral with the fans enjoying seeing the cricketing sensations having a good laugh. Earlier, Rishabh Pant was involved in a life-threatening road accident in December 2022 and has been working towards recovering to get back to playing Cricket for India and his IPL franchise.

Rishabh Pant’s fans are overjoyed seeing him exchanging heartfelt moments with the Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni. Thanks to the viral video showing the duo playing Pickleball, the interest towards the sport has increased massively lately. Here is a brief look at what the sport is all about:

What is Pickleball?

The racquet sport is often described as a hybrid of tennis, badminton and table tennis. It is quickly gaining popularity worldwide and the video has contributed to people taking notice of it. Similar to the aforementioned sports, it can be played in a singles and doubles format.

The sport can be played indoors or outdoors on a court which is 44 feet (13.4m) long and 20 feet (6.1m) wide. Players use racquets which are slightly bigger than table tennis paddles to hit a plastic ball over a 0.86m high net until one of the players is unable to return the ball.

According to the USA Pickleball (USAP) and the International Federation of Pickleball (IFP), the paddle size should not increase more than 24 inches in width and 17 inches in length.

Pickleball has been growing in popularity rapidly, particularly in the United States of America. The name of the sport is derived from the pickle boats in rowing crews where oarsmen were chosen from the waste material of other boats. The invention of the sport is credited to Joel Pritchard, who served in the United States Congress and as the Lt. Gov. of Washington. 

Playing pickleball requires technique and masterful control of the hands without requiring extreme fitness levels which makes it a popular sport among various age groups. Seeing Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni, otherwise popular for sending a cricket ball outside stadiums, was a pleasant sight for their fans.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram