In a landmark moment for India’s emerging sports ecosystem, Hudle, the country’s largest community platform for recreational sports, has secured $2.5 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Sky Impact Capital, with participation from Physis Capital, Atrium Venture, and marquee individual investors such as Mahesh Bhupathi, Gaurav Kapur, and the founders of Blue Tokai and Nitro Commerce. This fundraise will accelerate Hudle’s mission of making fitness and sports a seamless part of urban Indian lifestyles.
Credits: Startuptalky
A Sports-Tech Platform With Community at Its Core
Founded by Suhail Narain (CEO), Arjun Singh Verma (COO), and Sonam Taneja (Head of Business Development), Hudle aims to rewire how India engages with sports. The company operates a tech-enabled platform that connects players with sports venues, facilitates bookings, manages player experiences, and builds communities around fitness and recreation.
Today, Hudle is operational in 60+ cities, partnering with 2,000+ sports venues, and recording over 1,50,000 games per month. With ambitions to close the fiscal year at 3 million games, Hudle is already the largest player in the Indian market for emerging sports like pickleball and padel.
GRIP: India’s First Rating System for Emerging Sports
In August, Hudle will launch GRIP (Game Rating Index for Players)—India’s first scoring and rating system for pickleball, padel, and badminton. The new system will help amateur and semi-professional players track progress, get matched with similarly skilled opponents, and participate in more competitive, meaningful gameplay. This data-driven ecosystem marks a step toward formalizing recreational sports and improving user experience through performance-based matchmaking.
Surge in User Engagement and Growth Metrics
Hudle has witnessed 3x growth in games played and a 3.5x increase in gross transaction value over the past year. Revenue has also surged 2.5x during the same period, driven by growing demand for organized recreational sport and the rapid expansion of its venue network—especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
According to CEO Suhail Narain, “Playing sports should be as normal as grabbing a coffee. We’re not just scaling infrastructure; we’re building a lifestyle. Pickleball is growing at lightning speed in India, and we’re adding 300+ courts every month. This funding is about taking the Hudle experience to the next level—better tech, smarter discovery, and stronger communities.”
Investor Confidence in India’s Sports Economy
Sky Impact Capital led the round with a clear thesis: recreational sport in India is no longer niche. “Hudle is rewiring India’s recreational sports economy,” said Aakash Sachdev, Managing Partner at Sky Impact. “With a seamless, tech-enabled platform and growing user base, Hudle turns fitness into a social habit. We’re excited to double down on their journey to make active living a national trend.”
Echoing this belief, Vinay Bansal of Physis Capital noted, “India’s sports participation remains low due to fragmented infrastructure. Hudle is changing that by making outdoor sports accessible, social, and habit-forming.”
Vision for a Fitter India
At its core, Hudle is about transforming sports into a daily ritual for millions. Whether it’s badminton in Bengaluru, padel in Pune, or pickleball in Patna, the startup is actively expanding access and affordability. Their long-term vision? To empower 100 million Indians to make sports a way of life.
With the GRIP rating system, expanding venue partnerships, and a surge in player engagement, Hudle is well on its way to becoming India’s go-to destination for community sports and fitness.
Credits: Marca Money
About Hudle
Hudle is India’s largest sports community platform that allows users to discover, book, and play sports like badminton, pickleball, football, box cricket, and padel. With a base of 1.5 million players and an intuitive product experience, Hudle combines technology and community to make sports more accessible, social, and enjoyable for everyone.
