Dilli Dillwale Clinch WPBL 2026 Title in Nail-Biting 3-2 Final Victory

Dilli Dillwale are the new World Pickleball League champions after defeating Chennai Super Champs 3-2 in a dramatic final. The team, co-owned by Sunil Gavaskar, rallied after losing the opening women's singles match. Key victories in mixed doubles, women's doubles, and the decisive men's doubles sealed their title. Max Manthou was named Player of the Tournament for his outstanding campaign.

Key Points: Dilli Dillwale Win World Pickleball League 2026 Championship

  • Dilli Dillwale wins maiden WPBL title
  • Victory sealed in men's doubles decider
  • Max Manthou named Player of the Tournament
  • Chennai's Rika Fujiwara won opening match
  • Ly Hoang Nam won Band of Honour (Male)
2 min read

Dilli Dillwale crowned World Pickleball League 2026 champions after thrilling 3-2 win in final

Dilli Dillwale crowned WPBL 2026 champs after a thrilling 3-2 final win over Chennai Super Champs. Max Manthou named Player of the Tournament.

"Dilli Dillwale emerged as the World Pickleball League 2026 champions with a thrilling 3-2 win - Official Release"

Mumbai, February 9

Dilli Dillwale emerged as the World Pickleball League 2026 champions with a thrilling 3-2 win over Chennai Super Champs in the final held at the Jio World Garden tonight. The Sunil Gavaskar co-owned outfit came back from losing the opening women's singles match to secure triumphs in three out of the remaining four matches.

Dilli's Max Manthou was adjudged the Player of the Tournament, whereas Katerina Stewart and Ly Hoang Nam got the Band of Honour for winning the most points amongst women and men respectively, in this campaign, according to a release.

Rika Fujiwara began the outing in her trademark dominating demeanour, overcoming her Dilli Dillwale opponent Alejandra Lopez by 27-3. Right from the commencement of the tie, the seasoned Grand Slam star held an extreme stronghold over the proceedings, refusing to cede an inch, which gave the Super Champs a firm foot ahead in the fixture straightaway.

Following this was the mixed doubles match, where Max Manthou and Trang Huynh paired up to edge past Ly Hoang Nam and Carlota Trevino by 11-10.

The Dilli duo edged past Nam and Trevino by a slender single-point margin in a match that went right down the dying embers of the summit clash.

Nam stormed back after trailing significantly in the men's singles match, overcoming Vinh Hien Truong by 15-13. The game was stuck at 12-12 with around a minute to go, before Nam channelled his serious competitive spirit, which had propelled him to a Wimbledon boys' doubles win alongside Sumit Nagal in 2015, to clinch the match by 15-13.

The women's doubles produced an equally invigorating encounter. Trang Huynh partnered with Mihae Kwon and sneaked past Trevino and Domenika Turkovic by 11-10.

In the men's doubles fixture, Dilli Dillwale left nothing to chance. Max Manthou and Erik Lange smashed home a 14-6 result against Tanner Tomassi, who was alongside Do Minh Quan for most of the encounter. Chennai used their 'Pickle Play' option to bring Nam onto the court temporarily, but Dilli held their ground to lay their hands on their maiden WPBL crown.

INDIVIDUAL PRIZES

Player of the Tournament: - Max Manthou (Dilli Dillwale)

Band of Honour (Male) - Ly Hoang Nam (Chennai Super Champs)

Band of Honour (Female) - Katerina Stewart (Bengaluru Jawans).

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
So happy for Dilli Dillwale! But honestly, I'm still learning what pickleball is. 😅 It's great to see a new sport getting this kind of platform and excitement in India. The league format with city teams is a brilliant idea.
V
Vikram M
Ly Hoang Nam was a beast! Winning the Band of Honour even from the losing side shows his quality. That comeback in the men's singles was pure class. Tough luck for Chennai, but they put up a great fight.
S
Sarah B
The article is exciting, but the reporting feels a bit one-sided towards Dilli. Rika Fujiwara's 27-3 win in the opener was absolutely dominant and deserved more than just a passing mention. A more balanced highlight of both teams' performances would be better.
R
Rohit P
Jio World Garden must have been electric! Wish I could have been there. Next season, they should take the finals to Delhi or Chennai for the home crowd advantage. More Indian players in the league next time, please!
M
Michael C
Interesting to see the global mix of players. Vietnamese, Japanese, American, Spanish... and a co-owner like Sunil Gavaskar. This is how you build a world-class sporting product. Congrats to all the champions!

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50