New Delhi: Stavya Bhasin emerged as one of India’s most promising pickleball prodigies with his stellar performances and uncanny consistency at the Indian Pickleball League (IPBL) at the KD Jadhav Indoor Hall on December 5. He pulled off a stunning result by beating Quang Duong, Mumbai Smashers’ star pickler from Vietnam, and Ammol Ramchandani in the men’s doubles clash with a dominating performance.
With Capital Warriors Gurgaon trailing 0-1 in the tie, Bhasin, a Class 12 student, scaled up his game, attacking fiercely and moving back and forth fluidly. Stavya brought his impeccable defence into effect and dominated the game from the onset. The Indian youngster controlled the court with consistent rallies and brilliant shot selection, supporting his partner Jack Munro of the US to pull off a thrilling 15-9 win.
“I feel Jack and I finally got our chemistry. We started playing well since yesterday. We carried that same momentum forward today and I feel we played out of a spin in the men’s doubles,” Stavya told Pickleball Now.
Asked about his partnership with Munro, 17-year-old Stavya admitted that he was overwhelmed by the APP star’s presence in his team initially. “He’s obviously the top-ranked player on the APP Tour. Playing with him is a great experience,” he said before adding, “It’s obviously also scary because you know you can’t disappoint. You have to stay at the same level that he is at, which is honestly quite tough.”
Anticipating opponents’ moves
But when the IPBL began, Stavya proved that he definitely has the elements to belong to the big league. He and Munro have registered their second straight win in the tournament on Friday, following a commanding victory over Ryler DeHeart and Aditya Ruhela of Hyderabad Royals on Thursday.
The victory held more significance since it came against Ammol, his men’s doubles partner at the national level. They had even entered the Indian Pickleball League (IPBL) on the back of their landmark men’s doubles title-winning performance at the IPA Nationals in November.
Stavya’s brilliant anticipation skill gave him an advantage against Ammol today. “Obviously, Ammol and I know each other inside out. I know exactly what he’s going to do, when he’s going to do it. I can read him like a book and so can he, I’m sure. But I guess I read him a little bit better today, which is why we really came out on top,” he stated.
Consistency is his biggest takeaway, he would recall after the match. “Biggest takeaway is probably just be more consistent.”
Disappointment
Despite the defeat in the tie, Stavya’s inspiring performance kept Capital Warriors Gurgaon in playoff contention, as they are now set to play a 25-point Grand Rally on December 6 along with Mumbai Smashers and Bengaluru Blasters.
Stavya, however, is disappointed after his team’s defeat against Mumbai. After squandering a 3-1 lead against Hyderabad Royals on December 4, Gurgaon took their tie against Mumbai Smashers deep into the Grand Rally, where they went down 19-21.
“Overall as a team, obviously feeling disappointed losing to a team that’s literally won its first tie in the league. But congrats to them for playing a great game,” said Stavya.
Reflecting on the IPBL, the Mumbai boy praised the league’s boisterous atmosphere. “The venue, the entire environment and vibe that’s been created with the amount of people coming in to watch the game today, it was amazing. Credit to the entire IPBL team, the staff, everyone behind it to really set up this entire thing,” said Stavya.