IPBL: Mumbai Smashers finally opened their account in the Indian Pickleball League on Friday, keeping their knockout chances alive with a crucial 4-2 win over Capital Warriors Gurgaon.
The victory, followed by a 3-3 stalemate between Hyderabad Royals and Bengaluru Blasters, created a rare three-way tie-leaving Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Gurgaon level on Tie Points, Match Points, and Head-to-Head.
With no team gaining a clear edge, the final knockout berth will now be decided through a three-team play-in on Saturday. The mini round-robin-played as Grand Rallies to 25-will determine who advances. If scores stay level, the team with the best points differential across the rallies will progress. Day 5 action took place at KD Jadhav Indoor Hall, with actress
Kriti Kharbanda in attendance.
Mumbai's must-win tie began with World No. 3 Quang Duong steamrolling Arik Badami 15-1. Gurgaon struck back in the men's doubles through Stavya Bhasin and Jack Munro (15-9), but Allison Harris restored Mumbai's lead with a 15-11 women's singles win. Schmidt and Mehta then levelled the tie again for Gurgaon in the women's doubles (15-12), pushing the contest to a Grand Rally. Mumbai held their nerve, closing out a tense 21-18 finish. Ammol Ramchandani and Emilia Schmidt received Player of the Tie honours.
Earlier, Bengaluru Blasters faced Hyderabad Royals in a must-win encounter but were eventually held to a draw. Phuc Huynh set the tone with a 15-10 win in the men's singles before teaming up with Arjun Singh to take the men's doubles by the same score. Pei Chuan Kao then delivered a clutch performance to put Bengaluru 3-0 ahead.
Hyderabad mounted a late response. The women's doubles pairing of Megan Fudge and Shreya Chakraborty sparked the comeback with a 15-7 win before Hyderabad edged the thrilling Grand Rally 21-19 to pull the tie back to 3-3. Arjun Singh and Kao were recognised as Players of the Tie.
Hyderabad had already secured their place in the knockouts by defeating Mumbai 4-2 on Thursday.
Action at press time included Tie 3 between Chennai Super Warriors and Lucknow Leopards. Based on updated standings, Chennai and Hyderabad will meet in Saturday's Qualifier, with the winner reaching the Grand Finale and the loser moving into Eliminator 2.
| No. | Team | Ties Played | Ties Won | Ties Drawn | Ties Lost | Tie Points | Match Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q | Chennai Super Warriors | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 18 |
| Q | Hyderabad Royals | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 18 |
| Q | Lucknow Leopards | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 12 |
| 4 | Mumbai Smashers | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| 5 | Capital Warriors Gurgaon | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| 6 | Bengaluru Blasters | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 12 |
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