News: Developers Turn Rooftops Into Pickleball Courts-01-03-2026

Pickleball courts are appearing on underused rooftops, podium slabs, vacant plots and even basements as developers respond to the sport’s popularity among young homebuyers. Experts say what started as a niche pastime is now a headline amenity in premium and mid-segment projects, reflecting demand for active, community-oriented living.

Gundeep Singh, founder of proptech company Simplease, wrote on LinkedIn that the game was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum, and was declared Washington’s official state sport in 2022. It is now played in over 80 countries and has grown sharply in India, particularly in Mumbai and Bengaluru. Singh said developers are positioning courts as a key differentiator, and that amenities now have a shelf life, which pushes builders to design flexible spaces that can evolve every 5-10 years. He added that ’awkward’ spaces which once struggled to justify their cost are changing how value creation is viewed.

Space is the main advantage. A standard court measures 44 by 20 feet, far smaller than a tennis court, so it fits into dense urban projects. Ritesh Mehta, Senior Director, Residential Advisory Services, India, at JLL, told Hindustan Times Real Estate that pickleball has not replaced tennis or squash outright, but its compact footprint and lower cost make it more practical in many gated communities. Some tennis courts, notably outside India, are being converted because of usage patterns, which is influencing developers here. Mehta said the sport is not yet a baseline amenity in mid-segment housing but is increasingly a lifestyle differentiator in premium and luxury projects.

Hiranandani Group’s Niranjan Hiranandani recently said Regalia Business Parks’ association with the CXO PickleBall League, powered by Regalia Business Parks and Grav8 Sports with Saina Nehwal as Brand Ambassador, shows how the sport can bring business leaders together beyond boardrooms. The company is building a court as part of the Eastbridge project in Regalia Business Park, Vikhroli.

At Bengaluru-based Brigade Group, Viswa Prathap Desu, COO - Residential, said pickleball began as an amenity in premium developments and is fast becoming standard in larger townships and even mid-segment projects. A court alone may not close a sale, he said, but buyers increasingly ask about sporting infrastructure during site visits.

Anil RG, Managing Director of Concorde, said the company introduced courts at Concorde Abode 99 nearly four years ago, before the current surge, and saw strong resident engagement. He compared the sport’s path to that of gyms and yoga decks. Sarthak Seth, CSMO at Tata Realty and Infrastructure Ltd., said newer projects are including courts at the design stage instead of retrofitting them, citing Varnam Phase 1 in North Bengaluru.

Praveer Shrivastava, Senior Executive Vice President - Residential, Prestige Group, said the company places such features within landscaped podiums or dedicated wellness zones so they complement the design, and works with architects to ensure every leisure space adds to the look and social fabric of a development in space-constrained Bengaluru. Developers are also considering acoustics and layout at the planning stage.

Data linking pickleball to faster sales remains limited, and experts say a court by itself cannot guarantee quicker sales or project success. Most developers agree it improves positioning in competitive micro-markets. Anil RG said sales velocity depends on multiple factors, but forward-looking amenities strengthen buyer engagement and help projects stand out, particularly among younger, wellness-conscious buyers.