Bengaluru, 12 November: The World Tennis League will stage its fifth season in Bengaluru from 17 to 20 December 2026, with four days of mixed-team tennis at the KSLTA S.M. Krishna Tennis Stadium.
Several players from last season are confirmed to return, including Spain’s Paula Badosa and Indian players Yuki Bhambri, Sumit Nagal, Dhakshineswar Suresh, Maaya Rajeshwaran Revathi and Shrivalli Bhamidipaty. The full player line-up and team compositions will be announced in the coming days.
Indian talent alongside international names
Co-founded by Mahesh Bhupathi and founded in Dubai in 2022, the league moved to India last year. It features four teams of men’s and women’s players in a round-robin format, with each tie made up of men’s singles, women’s singles and two doubles matches, including mixed doubles. Every game won counts towards a team’s points total.
Past editions have featured Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Daniil Medvedev and Aryna Sabalenka. The tournament is licensed and managed by Iconik Sports and Events.
What the co-founders said
Bhupathi said: “Last season was an exciting chapter for the World Tennis League, with an impressive mix of international talent and Indian players coming together to deliver some memorable tennis. The response from fans and the energy around the competition reinforced our vision of creating a distinctive global tennis property. As we move into Season 5, we are looking to build on that momentum, take the league to new audiences and continue raising the bar with every edition.”
Fellow co-founder Hemali Sharma said: “We are delighted to bring the World Tennis League back to Bengaluru. The city has a strong sporting culture and an enthusiastic tennis-following audience, making it an exciting destination for Season 5. This edition will once again bring together some of the finest international players alongside India’s established and emerging tennis talent.”
Why it matters for Indian tennis
For India’s leading players, the league offers home-crowd matches against touring professionals in the off-season. Bhambri, Nagal and the younger group of Dhakshineswar, Maaya and Shrivalli will again get the chance to share the court with international opponents in front of Bengaluru fans.
Read about the league’s India debut last year and more tennis news.
