Sports brought them closer. Pickleball WhatsApp groups brought them closer.
Vikram Chandrasekhar, co-owner of Baseline, Chennai’s newest pickleball facility, says that when he was going through tough times, his pickleball community was his support system. Small acts of kindness like bringing him food, or simply believing in him, made a difference. “It’s hard to make friends at 50, but I’ve made some great friends through pickleball,” says Vikram.
“Sport is very social, so the idea was to see if we could create something that could fit into people’s lives. Not just a court rental space, but somewhere families can come and hang out. That’s why we decided to create Gobelin Café and a co-working space,” says Vikram, adding that hospitality and community can co-exist around sport as an anchor. “People come here, set up their laptops to work. They take breaks every now and then, play a game or two and get back to work.”
Courts in Baseline, Gandhi Nagar | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Baseline in Gandhi Nagar follows a subscription model, which is different from the pay-as-you-go concept offered by most courts. It includes three tournament grade courts, a store for equipment and a viewing deck/fitness area on the first floor. A group of women are playing, the oldest of whom is 73 years old. There is a small lawn outside where the court’s guard dog Bouncer is lazing in the afternoon sun. “I want to use this space to host community events like Sunday markets, pickleball mixers, brunches,” says Vikram.
are rallying around
All in all, in T Nagar, three 28-year-old youngsters are on top of things. Best friends and now business partners – Varun Prashant, Siddharth Shekhar and Manav Subramaniam – initially planned to start a cloud kitchen.
Then, he discovered pickleball. Compared to bookings by six people on the day of launch in December 2025, this number increased to 43 bookings per day in a short time. By the end of the month, Serve will launch Bold Café in partnership with restaurateur Sandesh Reddy, incorporating the founders’ passion for both food and sports.
Servant, there is a game in progress in 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 sport, recovery or wellness. The recovery room will have an ice bath, sauna, a stretching area and massage guns. At Bold, you can have clean nutritious food post-game and end your day. It’s a social wellness brand and we want to take it across the state,” says Varun. There are four pickleball courts and one paddle court. “We stay open till midnight and once the café opens, we will try to keep it open till 2 am,” says Varun. They also plan to organize events for the community. Think: singles events, mixed doubles tournaments, yoga days, live music.
Siddharth, pleased with the development, says, “Our customers come again and again. Some groups come every day. People come with their children and families. It has become a hangout.”
Most of the players in the service are in the age group of 20-40. These include beginners, intermediate and professional. People who want to improve their game play with expert groups, or play leisure games with other groups. They find people with similar skill levels.
Manav believes that pickleball is so popular because it has a low barrier to entry. “It’s less technical than other racquet sports, it’s 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 has a big advantage in playing for a long time. As a group you move forward together in the intermediate stages. That learning curve brings people closer together,” says Human.
dink, bond, laugh
Winkin ALM, Injambakkam | People gather for breakfast after a game in. Photo Credit: Johan Satyadas
To further enhance this community, several courts are planned along with cafes and co-working spaces. The growing list includes Pickle & Chill and Crafe in Anna Nagar, Serve in T Nagar, Baseline in Gandhi Nagar, Madras Blend & Brews in Purusaivalakam… Shamugaraj Thangaraj, perhaps one of the early ones to start this trend with Agco-Winkin’ in Anna Nagar last March, almost feels like a proud parent as he watches different people from different walks of life come together to play, forming bonds that continue beyond the courts.
“Pickleball made me social,” says Hasnain Kapadia, a self-confessed introvert. “Once I started playing Winkin, my circle of friends expanded.” Evenings spent at home playing video games have given way to competitive matches and dinners with fellow pickleballs. Even a trip to Bengaluru is in the works, where the group plans to play, eat and relax.
Different age groups play together in Winkin, Injambakkam. Photo Credit: Johan Satyadas
Chennai is now full of pickleball WhatsApp groups, where members decide when to play, and then where to meet – for a meal, a movie or even a weekend getaway. Making friends in a city that is often considered reserved has never been easier.
With these groups easily ranging from 40 to 100 people, there is always someone to pick up the paddle and rally. “It’s great for making contacts, and in my case, it also helped my business because I met potential customers here,” says Shanmugaraj, who co-owns Winkin Courts across the city, including in Inzambakkam and Anna Nagar. Next is coming to Neelankarai where Café Trotter will be making coffee. “We want to set up courts in every area,” he says. “The idea is that if you’re part of Winkin’, you should be able to play anywhere.”
Over the past 11 months, Winkin Anna Nagar has managed to bring in a large number of players, a steady increase from the 100 that came in the first two months. According to their database, at least 1,700 people have played on their Anna Nagar courts at least twice. They have also launched three tournaments. “The last tournament was held at Inzambakkam Court and there were 100 participants. People also came to support the contestants. It felt like a huge family event,” Shanmugaraj says with a smile.
Shanmugraj Thangaraj Photo Credit: Johan Satyadas
When 23-year-old Sanu Raghav moved from Coimbatore to Chennai for work, he said it was difficult to make friends. “Chennai was not completely new to me, but starting afresh as a working professional is very different from being a student. Social circles are already formed. There was definitely a feeling of loneliness,” he says.
Soon, Sanu started playing pickleball. He says, “Once I started playing regularly, conversations started happening naturally. There was no pressure, people just met over shared interests. I formed true friendships.” “There’s a sense of belonging, a sense of being accepted for who you are. Over time, it really started to feel like a second family.”
Baseline | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement