Suraj and Suneel finished runners-up in the men’s doubles category at the Team 16 Pickleball Power Play, going down 15-9 to Tej Charanraj and Loki Jack in the final at the Go Play Sports Hub in Chennai on January 11. Speaking to Pickleball Now after the match, Suneel said the partnership grew stronger as the tournament progressed.
“Suraj and I have played together before, but this was our first tournament of this size as a pair. I think we combined really well. From the group matches through the knockouts, we kept building,” he said.
Suneel admitted that the final did not go entirely to plan but felt the performance across the event was encouraging. “Unfortunately, we made a few mistakes in the final. We could have played better, but overall I’m really happy with how we played,” he added.
Suraj echoed those sentiments, describing the tournament as a valuable learning experience. “It was a good experience in the end. We hadn’t played together in a long time, and we just started building our chemistry again. Honestly, we didn’t expect to reach the final,” he said.
The pair acknowledged missed opportunities in the decider but remained focused on taking positives from the run to the final. “We played a good set of games throughout the tournament. We could have played the final better, but we’ll take the mistakes and learn from them,” Suraj noted.
The Team 16 Pickleball Power Play 2026, a PWR 200 event sanctioned by the Indian Pickleball Association (IPA), was held at the Go Play Sports Hub in Chennai from January 10-11.
About Indian Pickleball Association:
The Indian Pickleball Association is the official governing body for pickleball in India and is dedicated to promoting, developing, and organising the sport across the country. The association continues to inspire players of all ages and skill levels to embrace the game through events like the IPA Nationals. IPA is affiliated with the Asian Pickleball Association (APA) and the Global Pickleball Federation (GPF).
About Pickleball World Ranking:
PWR is a national ranking system that spans all age groups, skill divisions, and formats -including singles, doubles, and mixed categories. It serves as the official National Sports Federation Ranking for India. With multiple sanctioned events taking place every week across the country, PWR defines the top Indian players at every level and forms the foundation for team selection at the school, district, state, and national stages.
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