In a significant move to boost the burgeoning padel scene in India, MS Dhoni's 7Padel has merged with PadelPark India. This strategic alliance aims to create a unified national platform to accelerate the growth and professionalization of padel across the country. The merger combines Dhoni's growing interest in the sport with PadelPark India's extensive ecosystem, which includes infrastructure, coaching, tournaments, and community programs.
The unified entity plans to focus on structured expansion, deeper community engagement, and establishing professional standards for padel in India. This move is seen as a way to position padel as a serious, long-term sporting option in the country, moving beyond its current status as a novelty sport.
MS Dhoni, now a Partner in the merged entity, highlighted the potential for padel's growth in India, given the country's strong base of racquet sport players. He believes that padel's social nature, its doubles format, and its suitability for community play make it a natural fit for urban and emerging markets. "Once courts are available, people will take to it naturally," Dhoni stated, emphasizing PadelPark India's end-to-end model as a key to consistent growth beyond metropolitan areas.
PadelPark India, founded by Nikhil Sachdev, Jigar Doshi, Pratik Doshi, and Ronak Daftary, currently operates over 40 owned and managed courts and has contributed to the delivery of more than 200 padel courts across India. Nikhil Sachdev described the merger as more than just a commercial agreement, stating that bringing 7Padel MS Dhoni into the fold creates a single, aligned platform capable of raising standards and credibility for the sport nationwide. He also emphasized Dhoni's leadership and clarity as strengths that align with the organization's long-term vision.
The group plans an aggressive expansion over the next year, targeting between 400 and 500 courts to widen access to the sport significantly. This expansion coincides with the rapid global rise of padel. According to the World Padel Report 2025, the sport now boasts over 77,300 courts across 150 countries. India's growth has been similarly impressive, with court numbers increasing from around 70 in 2023 to over 300 nationwide.
Padel received a further boost in November 2025 when the International Padel Federation and Padel Asia announced that the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) officially recognized padel. Padel will be included in the upcoming editions of the Asian Games.
Parth Jindal, Founder of JSW Sports, has been an early investor in PadelPark India since August 2024. Dhoni joining as a partner is seen as a further endorsement of the sport's potential and the ecosystem being built around it. With Dhoni's involvement and an expanding infrastructure base, the newly merged platform aims to be at the center of padel's development in India, balancing accessibility, community participation, and professional governance as the sport expands beyond early adoption.
