WOW STORY OF THE DAY: Two Cousins Built Premium Pickleball Courts Across the US, India, and Thailand and Secured a Shark Tank Deal

Mumbai, Brooklyn, and a Sport Whose Time Had Come

Yogesh Chavan and Hemant Chavan co-founded Goodland Pickleball in 2024, with a precise and powerful division of roles from day one. Yogesh was based in Mumbai, focused entirely on developing operations in India. Hemant was based in Brooklyn, New York, where pickleball was already a mainstream cultural phenomenon with millions of players across the country.

That transatlantic founding setup gave Goodland a unique advantage: institutional knowledge of how professional pickleball operates in its most mature market combined with the operator-level ground presence in India to build it from scratch.

Pickleball, a paddle sport combining elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis, played on a badminton-sized court with a modified tennis net using a paddle and a plastic ball with holes, had already captured tens of millions of players across the United States. In India, the growth signals were equally compelling. The country saw a tenfold increase in pickleball courts in a single year, constructing around 500 new courts. Yogesh and Hemant saw that the demand existed, the awareness was growing, and the infrastructure was almost entirely absent.

They decided to build it. And they built it as a one-stop solution provider: courts, equipment, branded clubs, and a community, every dimension of the pickleball ecosystem under one roof.

Number One Net in India, Three Countries, and Multiple Revenue Streams

The boldest business decision Goodland Pickleball made was to operate as a comprehensive pickleball ecosystem rather than a single-product company. Court construction for professional tournaments and recreational facilities forms the core. Court rentals at ₹600 to ₹700 per session, a membership plan at ₹5,000 per month, and paddles sold at ₹2,500 create recurring revenue and community engagement. An online booking platform connects players to courts seamlessly.

The founders stated at the time of their Shark Tank pitch that their net was the number one selling pickleball net in India, confirming early category leadership in equipment.

In just nine months from founding, Goodland generated ₹1.9 crore in total revenue: ₹1.2 crore from the United States representing 63.2% of total sales, and ₹70 lakh from India.

Scale and Real-World Impact

The Most Defensible Sports Brands Build the Infrastructure First

The sharpest takeaway from Goodland Pickleball's rapid momentum is this: the most enduring sports brands don't just sell gear—they build the physical and community spaces where the sport is actually played.

Yogesh and Hemant recognized that capturing the pickleball surge required more than equipment sales. By combining professional court construction, accessible community clubs, and premium gear, Goodland established itself as a foundational builder of the global pickleball movement.

Sources

• Shark Tank India (Season 4)

• Goodland Pickleball Official Web Platform

• Tracxn / Inc42 Corporate Data