Nagaland grabs 11 medals at Kolkata Open Pickleball 2026

Morung Express News
Dimapur | May 4 

Nagaland won 11 medals — 8 gold and 3 silver — at the Kolkata Open Pickleball 2026. The state team, featuring 22 players, participated in the four-day event that hosted 310 players and 1,021 matches. 

Winning gold in Advanced Men’s Singles and Intermediate Men’s Singles, alongside a silver in the 30+ category, Vilasier Khate was the Player of the Tournament. Khate, competing outside Nagaland for the first time, said the outcomes were unexpected. “I was also surprised. There were much better players than me. But I think winning two singles gold categories helped me,” he said.

Sonia Sarkar won gold in Intermediate Women’s Singles and received the Emerging Player award. Additional gold medals were won by Kabinlo and Imsuren Longchar in Advanced Men’s Doubles, Kabinlo and David Murry in Beginner Men’s Doubles, Elona and Lentina in Beginner Women’s Doubles, Lentina and David in Beginner Mixed Doubles, and Mego and Elona in Intermediate Mixed Doubles. Alemyim and Lizavi secured silver in Women’s Doubles, as did David and Tonoto in Intermediate Men’s Doubles.

The state team was given a warm reception at the Dimapur airport on arrival from Kollkata, on May 4. 

According to the Nagaland Pickleball Association (NPA), the sport was introduced in the state only one year ago. “In such a short span of time, our players have been able to compete on par with the national players,” noted NPA President Nathan Kaurinta Zeliang. He added that the NPA currently consists of around 100 players, with formal registration processes pending.

NPA Advisor Kuchi R Zeliang described participating in the national tournament as a great learning curve for the state’s budding pickleballers. “We met Asia’s number two, Vinay, known as ‘Vinay the Pro’, so we lost. We really struggled, but we gained a lot of experience,” he explained. Zeliang, who led the state team, reached the semi-finals in the 40-plus category. 

He described the sport as a racquet game blending table tennis and badminton, playable by individuals across age groups. Zeliang said the game is gaining popularity locally, with Dimapur currently housing over 20 courts. 

Regarding tournament financing, Zeliang clarified the state government was not approached. Instead, the NPA sponsored three players — Kabinlo, Longchar, and Khate — while NPA Advisor Abu Metha funded travel and accommodation logistics. “Now that we know that we are good at it, we will surely approach the government and see that next time we get something more substantial,” Zeliang stated.

Imsuren Longchar, who won doubles gold advised beginners to focus on foundational skills. “If possible, try to find a coach. But they can obviously join any court, watch how other players play, and they can pick up the game,” Longchar said. The Kolkata tournament was his second after the IPA Nationals 2025 held in Bengaluru, in November 2025.