There is a new sound echoing across India’s premium club districts, and it is not tennis. It is the sharp pop of a padel ball off a glass wall, followed by laughter from the players who just watched their shot come right back at them. This weekend, Mumbai becomes the centre of that buzz, as an exhibition padel match rolls out in the city today, marking the formal entry of Johnnie Walker Blonde Non-Alcoholic Lemonade into the sport.
The timing is deliberate. The brand announced its padel foray on World Padel Day, October 21, positioning the sport as the next big stage for how urban India socialises. What began as a niche racquet game played on an enclosed court is now being pitched as a lifestyle movement, and Mumbai’s match today is the opening rally.
A sport that found its social crowd
Padel is played with solid-faced rackets and a lower-pressure ball on a court roughly a third the size of a tennis court, ringed by glass walls that keep rallies alive. The format is almost always doubles, which makes it inherently social: two friends can pick up the basics in a single session and still be rallying an hour later. That low barrier to entry, combined with premium club environments springing up in metros, has turned padel into what the industry calls a lifestyle touchpoint for India’s urban, affluent audiences.
The numbers behind the scenes tell the story. Padel clubs have been multiplying across Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad over the past two years, with weekend slots at popular venues booking out days in advance. Corporate teams, influencer groups and college friends have all gravitated to a format that rewards coordination more than raw athleticism. It is competitive enough to get the heart rate up, and social enough that the post-match conversation lasts longer than the game itself.
The 7Padel MS Dhoni partnership
To anchor its presence, Johnnie Walker Blonde Non-Alcoholic Lemonade has partnered with 7Padel MS Dhoni, part of the PadelPark India ecosystem. The tie-up brings the brand into the sport’s wider infrastructure, with a presence across select clubs and courts, and a slot on 7Padel’s annual calendar of Americano and Mexicano-format tournaments.
For the uninitiated, Americano and Mexicano formats are rotation-based doubles tournaments where players change partners every few games and accumulate individual scores. It is a format built for mixing, meeting new players and staying in motion, which is precisely why brands chasing social engagement find it attractive. The partnership means padel regulars will be seeing the brand across venues and tournament days through the season, not just at a one-off event.
What industry leaders are saying
Varun Koorichh, VP Marketing, International Whiskies at Diageo India, described padel as increasingly becoming a lifestyle touchpoint for India’s urban, affluent audiences, bringing together a distinctive mix of sport, style and social connection. He noted that the sport’s premium club culture and naturally social format make it an exciting space, and that padel offers the brand an opportunity to connect with a new generation of consumers through a shared appreciation for sport, style and contemporary culture.
Jigar Doshi, Co-founder of PadelPark India, said that as padel continues to scale across India, the strength of the sport lies in building an ecosystem where infrastructure, community and the right brand partnerships come together meaningfully. He added that by bringing Johnnie Walker into their venues and across the Mexicano Series, they are creating more engaging experiences for players while bringing new energy to the spaces where the community comes together, and that the goal is to bring more people into the sport and give the existing community more reasons to keep coming back.
Why Mumbai, why today
The exhibition match in Mumbai on October 24 is the kickoff event, and Mumbai is a natural first court. The city has seen some of the country’s fastest padel club growth, with premium venues in BKC, Andheri and Thane turning evening slots into social gatherings. An exhibition format lets the brand showcase the sport’s watchability: quick points, long rallies against the glass, and a crowd that is as much a part of the show as the players.
The strategy mirrors a broader trend in Indian lifestyle marketing. Brands are moving away from passive sponsorships toward owned moments in emerging culture, and padel fits the brief: it is young, urban, photogenic and growing fast. The non-alcoholic positioning of the lemonade line also widens the tent, letting the brand show up at sporting events where families and younger audiences are part of the mix.
What this means for padel in India
Brand money tends to follow momentum, and padel has it. Each new partnership adds courts, tournaments and visibility, which in turn pulls in more casual players. Industry watchers expect the next phase of growth to be driven less by hardcore athletes and more by social players: weekend groups, office teams and beginners who discovered the sport through a friend’s invitation. Today’s Mumbai exhibition is a bet on exactly that trajectory.
Whether padel sustains its cool or follows the familiar arc of every breakout sport will depend on access. Courts are still concentrated in metros, and premium pricing keeps casual interest from converting into habit. But if today’s match is any indication, the sport is not trying to be tennis’s quieter cousin anymore. It wants the spotlight, the crowd and the after-party.
FAQs
What is padel?
Padel is a racquet sport played on an enclosed court with glass walls, usually in doubles format. Players use solid-faced rackets and can play the ball off the walls, which keeps rallies going longer than in tennis.
When and where is the Johnnie Walker Blonde padel exhibition match?
The exhibition match is being held in Mumbai on October 24, 2026, kicking off the brand’s foray into padel.
Who has Johnnie Walker Blonde partnered with for padel in India?
The brand has partnered with 7Padel MS Dhoni, part of the PadelPark India ecosystem, and will be present across select clubs, courts and the annual calendar of Americano and Mexicano-format tournaments.
When was the partnership announced?
It was announced on World Padel Day, October 21, 2026.
Why is padel becoming popular in India?
Its doubles format is social and easy to learn, premium club environments make it a hangout destination, and the game rewards coordination over power, which makes it accessible to casual players of all ages.
Padel’s moment in India is just getting started, and Mumbai’s courts are where the next chapter begins.
