I am an occasional pickleball/paddle player. Those of you who are pros can sigh at this all you want but don't blame a girl for picking up a sport only because it was all over her IG feed. In the past year, pickleball has become the IT sport and while I am not an athletic person, I jumped into this 'court' (pun-intended) because a) it seemed fun and slightly easier for me to play in comparison to other sports, b) feels more leisurely to me personally since the racquet is lighter, c) its niche so of course the trend-monger in me couldn't resist , and d) it brings the gang together and we finally participate in a Sunday outing that's much more wholesome than the usual brunching.
Now, as someone who appreciates a good look when playing paddle because my weekends call for a tiny bit of dressing up for myself— I find the usual racquets a buzzkill. Yes, I know it's not that deep, I should focus on my game with true sportsmanship and not bother about such details but try explaining that to my aesthete brain. That's when you best believe I gawked when I found Elephant Racquet Club, India's first luxury pickleball and lifestyle brand, and the solution to my woes.
When I came across the newly launched brand on Instagram a few days back, I was SO impressed with how stunning their collection of racquets looked, each of them inspired by our Indian roots and a story to tell about our heritage, and clearly something so LBB-coded. But with a luxe finish which suits the globally-loved status of the phenomenon that pickleball has become.
The first drop of designs for their classic series has the 'Banyan Breeze' with a beautiful green print inspired by the banyan tree, a symbol of wisdom, strength and endurance while evoking that sense of calm and surety with its stature and shade. The next one is named the 'Desert Rhapsody' in subtle peach colour with floral motifs inspired from the block-prints of Jaipur. The third racquet in their Classic Series is named 'Sundarban Spirit' which features a lovely print in blue featuring tigers and flowers inspired from the flora and fauna of the Sundarbans. These have an elongated paddle shape and are made from durable fiberglass with a sanded texture for extra spin and control. The grip is fantastic with enough foam bedding that's wrapped in faux-leather that feels amazing and looks luxurious too!
Riddhi Aggarwal, the founder of Elephant Racquet Club, who handles A-Z of the brand, right from the designing of the racquets to the logistics told me that the brand is in fact looking to cater recreational players who aren't wanting to go pro but appreciate a nice game for the thrill of it and the memories you make while indulging in the sport. The idea is to make Elephant Racquet Club a part of your pickleball hang outs not merely as a sport equipment, but also a lifestyle and fashion accessory.
I absolutely love how they are catering a very specific niche and not trying too hard to convince you that what they are selling is life-changing. Buying it truly depends on whether or not you want to invest in a nice racquet or something well-designed that can serve as a memorabilia, or as one of my colleagues mentioned, using it as a platter; whatever suits you the best but what I am sure of is that I am in love with my racquet and elated a homegrown brand has entered this space.
So, I won't be stuck with boring paddle moments with sad-looking rented racquets on my Instagram stories now.
LBB Tip: Oh, they have another racquet in their Power Series named 'Dark Matter' that's made with 100% Raw Carbon Fiber for giving more power and performance, meant for the seasoned player.
