Revolutionizing India’s sports landscape, one match at a time, Suhail’s brainchild, is transforming the way Indians engage with sports. The Pioneer has the visionary entrepreneur onboard as he discusses bringing innovation to the Indian sports business and more
Suhail didn’t just return from Michigan with a degree; he came back with a game-changing playbook. In a country where planning a weekend football match feels like coordinating an international summit, he brought some much-needed order to the chaos. Launched in 2016 and turbocharged by tech in 2019, it is that finally answers the age-old question, ‘Who’s in for a game?’ With over 500,000 players and 100,000 matches happening every month, Suhail is turning WhatsApp banter into real competition—one perfectly booked match at a time. Now, all you need to worry about is your fitness level!
Driving innovation in the Indian sports business by fusing his background in academia with more than ten years of expertise in sports is the entrepreneur. So his Hudle is a sports experience that he created in 2016. The concept was inspired by the maturity and scope of American sports! In 2019, he transformed it into a tech platform after seeing the necessity to increase the general public’s accessibility to sporting events. Under his direction, it has grown to become the biggest sports community in India, with over 1,200 locations, over 500,000 players and over 100,000 games played each month.
In an insightful read, he explains, “The main motivation behind developing a software platform to increase accessibility to sport was the idea that sports were becoming a part of people’s daily routines and not a one-off event. Put another way, engaging in sports was less like taking a Sunday afternoon movie at the theater and more like going for a daily walk.” That’s a fascinating bit of knowledge!
To enable 100 million Indians to adopt sports as a way of life is the aim. Consider how SportsTech will grow and impact not only cities but also rural places where there is still a low level of sports engagement! Are you able to come up with it? Well, he’s already working on it! “The technology will be essential to increasing sports participation. Access to locations, community connections to locate others with comparable skill levels and AI-enabled tools to better track and enhance your game are all available. All of this is unimaginable without technology,” adds the founder and CEO of Hudle.
In the interview, we also talk about how sports and India have a complicated connection, with cricket frequently taking precedence over other subjects. Thus, he’s also trying to develop a culture and opportunity around lesser-known sports like padel and pickleball! Apparently, globally, both pickleball and padel have experienced explosive growth, with pickleball being played in 84 countries by over 5 million players and padel in 110 countries by over 25 million players. He continues, “A widely held belief is that as cricket is the most viewed sport, it must also be the most played. That is untrue. Although cricket is one of the most popular sports, playing football and badminton is also quite similar. Padel and pickleball are quickly catching up. Different factors are taken into account while selecting a sport to play, such as the number of participants needed, venue accessibility, ease of learning, etc.”
He is creating a tech platform for this reason, which can be difficult for an entrepreneur who is not tech savvy! He encountered difficulties throughout the tech transition: “Yes, it was quite difficult. However, there were also a few unanticipated advantages. The journey to becoming a tech company took a totally different turn. We were able to hire a reputable outside organisation to handle the tech development for the first year, which allowed us to concentrate more on laying the foundation. It was quite difficult to build a subscription option also. Considering badminton is a communal activity, the frequency of playing varies a lot among persons. However, as it encourages people to take up a sport as a regular activity, we will continue to work on improving for more recent sports. Over the years, Ajinkya Rahane has been a great deal of support. Even though funds and venture capitalists were skeptical about this industry, Ajinkya was the first to invest with me! It remains a crucial partnership from his network and credentials. The concept of sports legends and celebrities collaborating with startups must align both culturally and with the startups’ goals. The outcomes could then be exponential.”
As corny as it may sound, there are new challenges to face every day. Finding the first group of venues to collaborate with Suhail and developing a digital platform without any tech experience were the early tasks. After then, it was fundraising and expansion! Another unique kind of problem was COVID. Different obstacles arise at different times. However, as he overcame the first few obstacles, he gained the confidence to tackle any task. And you accomplish it that way!
