Cricket icon MS Dhoni has significantly deepened his involvement in India's burgeoning padel landscape. In a strategic move, his venture, 7Padel MS Dhoni, has merged with PadelPark India to establish a single, powerful national platform dedicated to scaling the sport across the nation.
A Strategic Merger for National Growth
This unification brings together Dhoni's personal investment in padel with the country's most extensive padel ecosystem. The merger signals a pivotal shift for padel in India, moving it from a niche novelty towards mainstream sporting participation. The newly formed entity will concentrate on structured expansion, community-led engagement, and upholding professional standards, aiming to position padel as a serious, long-term athletic option for Indians.
The platform has already garnered significant institutional trust. Parth Jindal, Founder of JSW Sports, became an early investor in PadelPark India in August 2024. Dhoni's entry as a partner is viewed as a major endorsement of the sport's potential and the ecosystem developing around it.
Leveraging India's Racquet-Sport Culture
Speaking on the partnership, Dhoni highlighted India's vast pool of racquet-sport enthusiasts, noting padel's natural appeal in both urban and emerging markets. He emphasized the sport's social, doubles-based format as ideal for community play. "Once courts are available, people will take to it naturally," Dhoni stated. He praised PadelPark India's comprehensive model, which covers infrastructure, coaching, tournaments, and community programmes, for providing a consistent growth pathway beyond major metropolitan areas.
Nikhil Sachdev, Co-founder of PadelPark India, described the merger as transcending a mere commercial deal. He stated that integrating 7Padel MS Dhoni creates a unified, aligned platform capable of elevating the sport's standards and credibility nationwide. Sachdev pointed to Dhoni's leadership and strategic clarity as key assets that complement the organization's long-term vision.
Aggressive Expansion Aligns with Global Momentum
Founded by Nikhil Sachdev, Jigar Doshi, Pratik Doshi, and Ronak Daftary, PadelPark India currently operates over 40 owned and managed courts and has facilitated the delivery of more than 200 courts across India. The merged group plans an aggressive expansion strategy, targeting 400 to 500 courts within the next year to dramatically widen access.
This domestic push coincides with padel's explosive global growth. The International Padel Federation's World Padel Report 2025 notes the sport now has over 77,300 courts across 150 countries. India's trajectory mirrors this rise, with court numbers skyrocketing from approximately 70 in 2023 to more than 300 currently.
Internationally, the sport received a substantial boost in November 2025 when the International Padel Federation and Padel Asia announced that padel has been officially recognised by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and will be featured in future Asian Games.
With Dhoni's influential backing and a rapidly expanding infrastructure, the merged platform is positioning itself at the heart of padel's next chapter in India. The focus is on balancing accessibility, community involvement, and professional governance as padel transitions beyond its early-adopter phase.
