by Suman Gupta
Grav8 Sports, founded by RJ Anmol, has brought Olympic medallist and former World No. 1 badminton player Saina Nehwal and Asia No. 1 pickleball player Armaan Bhatia on board as partners, strengthening its focus on premium sports properties for India’s CXO and C-suite community.
Grav8 launched India’s first CXO Pickleball League in Mumbai in 2025, with the inaugural edition featuring 16 teams and 31 matches. The property brought senior leaders from organisations including Barclays, HDFC ERGO, Hitachi Systems, WNS, DSK Legal, V3 Ventures, Spotify, KPMG, Adidas and Google. Industrialist Dr Niranjan Hiranandani was among the prominent personalities associated with the league alongside Saina Nehwal and RJ Anmol. Grav8 has since expanded its CXO sports platform across Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Pune and has also executed the CXO Baddy League, its second sports IP after the CXO Pickleball League. The inaugural CXO Baddy League was held in Mumbai on October 18 at NSCI Dome, with Saina Nehwal as its brand ambassador and partners including HDFC ERGO, Yotta Data Services and Regalia Business Parks.
Saina Nehwal brings two decades of elite sporting experience, including an Olympic bronze medal and a former World No. 1 ranking in badminton. She has been associated with Grav8’s CXO Pickleball League as its brand ambassador since its launch.
Bhatia brings professional pickleball expertise to the platform and is currently ranked as Asia’s No. 1 pickleball player. He won the men’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles titles at the 2024 PWR DUPR India Masters and continues to compete on the international professional circuit, including the PPA Tour.
RJ Anmol, Founder, Grav8 Sports, said: “Grav8 was built to create a premium sporting environment for India’s CXO community. Saina brings unmatched credibility from elite international sport, while Armaan brings current professional expertise from pickleball. Their association strengthens both the sporting and leadership dimensions of what we are building.”
Saina Nehwal said: “Pickleball has grown significantly in India, and Grav8 has created a differentiated platform by bringing the CXO community into the sport. I am happy to be associated with its growth and with the larger vision of building premium sporting experiences.”
Armaan Bhatia said: “Pickleball is developing rapidly in India, both as a professional sport and as a recreational format. Grav8 is taking it into a premium space for the C-suite, and I am excited to contribute my experience as a professional player to this journey.”
