WPL Season 4 Finals Night Closes Mumbai's Biggest Padel Week

Five days of franchise padel at SVP Stadium

The Akcel World Padel League (WPL) Season 4 ran from 12 to 16 August 2026 at the Dome, SVP Stadium in Mumbai, returning to Indian soil for a fourth consecutive year and scaling up to its largest edition yet. Six franchise teams, 36 internationally ranked players — 13 of them sitting inside the world's top 20 at the time of competition — and a broadcast network spanning more than 200 countries made this the tournament's most visible campaign since its launch. In India the event was carried live on Star Sports 3 and JioHotstar, with title sponsorship held by Dubai-based mobility tech company Akcel and co-sponsorship from airline SpiceJet.

The WPL format differs fundamentally from the Premier Padel and CUPRA FIP circuit. Each tie pits six-player franchise rosters against each other across rubbers that combine men's and women's pairs matches, awarding points on a game-by-game basis. The structure rewards squad depth and cross-gender teamwork, attracting professionals who sit outside the current CUPRA FIP Race's top bracket and giving them meaningful prime-time exposure in a rapidly growing Asian market.

The six franchises and their marquee names

The roster spread across the six teams included several recognisable names from the women's circuit. Game Changers Lions featured former world No. 1 Paula Josemaría alongside Teodoro Zapata, Federico Mouriño and Beatriz González. Vedanta Leopards built their campaign around women's top-five player Marta Ortega and Iberian duo Nuno and Miguel Deus. VB Realty Cheetahs relied on women's standout Arantxa Osoro and veterans Jorge Nieto and Jon Sanz. The remaining franchises — Khan Tigers, Aussie Mavericks Jaguars and Hubtown Panorama Panthers — added players from Spain, Argentina, Portugal, France and Australia, giving the event a genuinely multinational flavour on and off the court.

Group-stage drama before the final-day deciders

The five days of competition produced several memorable moments. Day 1 featured a comeback result and an upset that set the tone for an unpredictable group phase. Day 3 saw the Jaguars on the wrong end of a heavy defeat, while the Game Changers Lions recorded back-to-back victories to enter the knockout round as group leaders. Vedanta Leopards also survived tight margins to reach the semi-finals, beating the Khan Tigers in a super shoot-out on their way through. Sunday's programme lined up Lions vs Leopards at 15:00 IST and Aussie Mavericks Jaguars vs VB Realty Cheetahs at 17:30 IST, with the final scheduled for 20:15 IST — a Josemaría versus Ortega clash in the semi providing one of the most anticipated individual match-ups of the week.

What comes next on the global padel calendar

With the WPL's Mumbai chapter closed, the professional calendar pivots quickly. The CUPRA FIP Gold San Luis opened today (17 August) in San Luis, Mexico, offering ranking points on the FIP Tour to players outside the Premier Padel main draw. The next marquee event is the Comunidad de Madrid Premier Padel P1 by Oysho, with qualifying beginning 29 August at Pro Padel Coslada and the Movistar Arena main draw running 1–6 September. WPL Season 5 dates have not been announced; the league has not confirmed whether the event will remain in Mumbai or rotate to a new host city.