Watching from the owners' section, Rohan Khemkar egged on his players, cheering every serve, every return and celebrating each point. Following the game, he spoke exclusively to The Free Press Journal on all things pickleball and what makes it such an exciting sport to follow.

Global Sports pickleball is gathering pace as the tournament heads towards the business end of its league stage. Excitement is palpable among the viewing crowd, with both the Challenger Division and the Pro Division providing some excellent contests.

On Saturday, Kolkata Kingz snatched their 2nd win of the Pro League in a thriller against the Coimbatore Super Smashers. Led by former India tennis star Purav Raja, the franchise pulled off a win in the tie-breaker.

Watching from the owners' section, Rohan Khemkar egged on his players, cheering every serve, every return and celebrating each point. Following the game, he spoke exclusively to The Free Press Journal on all things pickleball and what makes it such an exciting sport to follow.

Excerpts:

That was a wild game. Initial thoughts on the result and what it feels like to be a part of the pickleball fever?

RK: That was an absolutely wild game. My voice is almost already gone. The scene has been unbelievable. What a great time. Second season for us. I am so pumped to be here again. Cannot complain. The setup is fantastic.

There is a great blend of youth and experience with players like Purav Raja facing off against youngsters like Puru Patel. What is it about pickleball that has everyone hooked?

RK: This platform that Global [Sports] has been able to create is phenomenal. I am so happy they have been able to do it. Just like you said, Purav [Raja] playing here is fantastic. He's our captain, he's a killer, a beast, and he's like 40 years old.

Puru played in the opposition team, just 18. Just unbelievable playing against some of the top players in the world. Playing with the best players in the world is just phenomenal.

What is the reasoning behind investing in pickleball? Is there a potential future for the sport in India?

RK: This sport has been growing massively everywhere. I'm from Kolkata, which is why I got the Kolkata franchise. Seeing my friends play, seeing people all over the country play is great.

So that is why I wanted to get into a sport that is just growing because it is not an investment which is just for the short term, right? We are looking at 10, 20, 50 years down the line. You never know where it is going to go.

For those not familiar with pickleball, what is your message for them?

RK: Get into pickleball. Just pick up a paddle and go and play. It is such a fun sport, and you can play with everybody, including your parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and everybody else. It is such an amazing sport.