Guwahati: Vinayak Thakur emerged as the standout performer at the Assam State Selection Trials for the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA) Nationals 2026, clinching three titles at the two-day tournament held at Stryde Arena in Guwahati on October 31 and November 1.
Thakur won the men’s 30+ singles, men’s 30+ doubles alongside Udipta Gogoi, and mixed open doubles with Upasana Nath to secure a triple crown.
Six other players — Manaswinee Hazarika, Nazneen Rahman, Harsh Bagrodia, Deepanjan Deb, Udipta Gogoi and Ashish Jain, also won two titles each at the trials, organised by the Assam Pickleball Association (APA) in partnership with Kaziranga Pro Sports Network (KPSN).
In the singles events, Neer Arohan Medhi won the boys’ under-14 title, while Partha Pratim Dutta claimed the open men’s crown. Deepanjan Deb, Ashish Jain and Venkatachalam Gopalan won the men’s 40+, 50+ and 60+ singles titles, respectively. Manaswinee Hazarika and Nazneen Rahman topped the women’s 30+ and 40+ singles categories.
In the doubles events, Harsh Bagrodia and Kavya Bagrodia won the open men’s title, while Deepanjan Deb and Harsh Bagrodia took the men’s 40+ crown. Shibasish Dutta Gupta and Ashish Jain won the men’s 50+ doubles title.
Hazarika and Gogoi claimed the mixed 30+ doubles title, while Rahman and Debasish Borah won the mixed 40+ event.
Parashmani Das of Guwahati was named the Most Promising Player of the Tournament.
The trials brought together players from Guwahati, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Silchar, along with eligible participants from outside Assam, competing across age and gender categories for places in the state contingent for the national championships.
The event was sanctioned by the IPA under the aegis of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), and was graded as a PWR 400 tournament.
Assam Pickleball Association Secretary Nazneen Rahman said the standard of competition reflected the sport’s growing presence across the state.
“Pickleball in Assam has witnessed remarkable growth over the past few years, and the standard of competition across categories is testament to that progress. 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. Representing Assam is both an honour and a responsibility.”, she said.
We hope our contingent will build on last year’s performance and return from the 2026 Nationals stronger and with more medals across categories. An event of this scale is always a collective effort, and the Association extends its sincere gratitude to the referees, officials, volunteers, sponsors, venue partners and, most importantly, the players who made these two days a success.”, she added.
The association attributed the sport’s expansion in Assam to grassroots initiatives, coaching clinics and the growing player community.
ProHealth, a physical therapy and rehabilitation clinic, supported the event as its physiotherapy partner, while PlayO was the gifting partner.
The selected players will now prepare to represent Assam at the 2026 IPA Nationals.