Aarush Nitture and Aahana Punjabi claimed the Open Men's Singles and Open Women's Singles titles respectively at the Maharashtra Pickleball State Trials 2026, held from 23 to 25 October at the Andheri Sports Complex, Mumbai. The three-day event, organised by the Maharashtra Pickleball Association (MPA), drew over 1,000 participants competing across open, veteran, and junior categories, with results to determine selection for the national pickleball championships.

Open Category Results

In the Open Men's Singles final, Aarush Nitture finished ahead of Yash Gaikwad, with Achintya Verma taking the bronze. Aahana Punjabi won the Open Women's Singles title, with Snehal Patil finishing as runner-up. The Open Men's Doubles title went to Aditya Singh and Arjun Singh, who defeated Stavya Bhasin and Ammol Ramchandani in the final, with Maitreya Bhagat and Anay Patil finishing third.

The Open Women's Doubles was claimed by Naomi Amalsadiwala and Pearl Amalsadiwala, who beat Urvi Abhyankar and Aahana in the final. Arjun Singh and Naomi Amalsadiwala won the Mixed Doubles title, with Pearl and Ammol finishing second.

Veteran and Age-Group Categories

In the 30+ category, Rohan Dsouza and Himanshu Dewaskar won the Men's Doubles, while Vishal Jadhav clinched the Men's Singles. Roma Dutia and Sindoor Mittal won the Women's Doubles, and Priyanka Mehta took the Women's Singles title. The 40+ category saw Deepak Jumani and Kunal Solanki win the Men's Doubles, Prakash Vibhute take the Men's Singles, and Sindoor Mittal and Priyanka Mehta claim both the Women's Doubles and the Mixed Doubles, while Gayatri Mewada won the Women's Singles.

In the 50+ category, Nozer Amalsadiwala and Kiran Salian won the Men's Doubles, and Atin Sharma took the Men's Singles. In the 60+ category, Thakurdas Rohira and Bhushan Akut won the Men's Doubles, with Bhushan Akut also claiming the Men's Singles title.

Junior Categories

Across the junior draws, Kaveer Mehta stood out, winning Boys' Singles in both the U14 and U16 categories, and the Boys' Doubles in U14 alongside Trilok Sundaresan. Shlok Gaba won Boys' Singles in the U18 category and was part of the Mixed Doubles-winning pair with Evana Mankani. In U12, Aarin Ballani won Boys' Singles, while Vidisha Shinde claimed Girls' Singles. The U16 Girls' Singles was won by Sanjana Varun Chopra.

What MPA Officials Said

Maharashtra Pickleball Association President Rahool Kanal said the scale of participation underlined the sport's growing footprint. 'The results reflected the breadth of participation and the competitive spirit driving the sport forward in Maharashtra, with over 1000 participants. This is a testament to the efforts of the Maharashtra Pickleball Association at the grassroots level,' Kanal said, also thanking partners including the Anant Seva Foundation, Kokilaben Hospital, and Global Sports.

MPA Secretary Hemal Jain noted the significance of state-level competition in building a national pipeline. 'With champions crowned across the open, veteran and junior categories, the tournament concluded with a strong showcase of talent and sporting ambition, underlining the importance of state-level competitions in nurturing players and strengthening the competitive pathway for the next generation,' Jain said.

Road to the National Championships

The Maharashtra state team for the national pickleball championships will be selected on the basis of these trial results. With over a thousand players competing across multiple age groups and formats, the MPA believes the trials have provided a credible and competitive basis for state representation.