Kohima hosts its inaugural Master Pickleball Championship, bringing 60 players together across four categories with INR 1.20 lakh prize money
KOHIMA — The inaugural Kohima Master Pickleball Championship 2026 got underway at The Heritage Pickleball Arena in Kohima on Friday, bringing together 60 players from Kohima and Dimapur.
Organised by the Paddle Collective Kohima, the two-day championship features four categories — mixed doubles beginner, mixed doubles open, men’s doubles beginner and men’s doubles open.
The tournament offers a total prize purse of INR 1.20 lakh, with the winners in each category receiving INR 20,000 and the runners-up INR 10,000.
The championship will conclude on Saturday at the same venue.
President of Paddle Collective Kohima, Neteno Yhoshü, said the tournament was conceived in response to the growing interest in pickleball in Kohima and the need for a platform where players could compete while building a community around the sport.
She said the objective went beyond competition, with the organisers seeking to promote an active lifestyle and create an inclusive space for people of different ages and playing backgrounds to meet and enjoy the sport.
Yhoshü said the organisers also wanted to provide more experienced and older players with an opportunity to compete in a tournament designed with them in mind.
Although pickleball remains relatively new in Nagaland compared with some other parts of the country, she said the response had been encouraging, with interest coming from young players as well as adults and senior players.