PadelPark Merges with MS Dhoni’s 7Padel to boost India’s fastest-growing sport

Indian padel startup PadelPark has merged with MS Dhoni-owned competitor 7Padel, according to a Wednesday announcement. 

The merger combines Dhoni’s consumer-focused padel venture with PadelPark India’s wider ecosystem, which includes infrastructure, coaching, tournaments, and community programs. The new entity aims to speed up court development, boost participation and create a more professional structure for padel across India.

The sports tech startup added that the platform will be designed for fast growth, stronger community engagement and more professionally organized play.

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Along with cricket legend MS Dhoni, the merged company is also backed by Parth Jindal, owner of JSW Sports and an early investor in PadelPark.

The startup, which generates most of its revenue by leasing the 40+ courts it manages, became EBITDA positive in FY24.

Founded in 2020 by Nikhil Sachdev, Ronak Daftary, and brothers Jigar and Pratik Joshi, Mumbai-based PadelPark has been able to tap the burgeoning racket sports space by starting out right when sports like padel and pickleball were beginning to pick up in India.

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Padel has grown significantly in popularity, and PadelPark’s reach has expanded along with it. Since launching its first court in 2020, the startup now offers coaching for all skill levels and organizes events that attract strong advertiser interest.

“In a country with over 10 million racquet sport players, Tier-1 cities have already shown how quickly padel can grow. The next step is taking that momentum into newer markets and making the sport accessible beyond the metros,” Dhoni said. “Once courts are available, people will take to it naturally - padel is social, it’s played in doubles, and it’s built around community which suits India. And with PadelPark India’s 360° ecosystem - from courts and coaching to tournaments and community programmes, we can scale with consistency and build padel as a professionally run sport across the country.”

Nikhil Sachdev, cofounder of PadelPark India, said that the merger reflects a shared vision for the long term growth of padel in India. He explained that combining 7Padel MS Dhoni with PadelPark India creates a unified platform to raise standards, boost participation and build lasting credibility for the sport, noting that Dhoni’s leadership and values strengthen the mission.

Through its subsidiary, Sky Padel India, the company has also started building, leasing, and selling padel courts, claiming to have constructed 200 courts so far. It plans to increase this number to 400–500 using a franchise-based model.

Looking ahead, PadelPark aims to expand beyond elite tier-1 neighborhoods into non-metro cities. About 30% of its queries now come from places like Chandigarh, Kochi, Surat, and Jaipur—a trend also highlighted by MS Dhoni.

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