General Gameplay Rules
• All matches follow International Pickleball Federation (IPF) rules.
• Matches are played to 11 points. If tied at 10-10, the team must win by a 2-point margin.
• Serving
➢ Only one serve attempt is allowed per server (except in the case of a let).
➢ The serve must be made diagonally, landing beyond the non-volley zone (kitchen)
and within the opponent’s service box.
➢ The server must keep both feet behind the baseline during the serve.
• Double Bounce Rule: After the serve, each team must let the ball bounce once before
returning it. (Serve → bounce → return → bounce → rally starts).
• Non-Volley Zone (Kitchen)
➢ Players must not volley (hit without bounce) the ball while standing inside the
kitchen.
➢ Momentum rule: If a player volleys the ball and their momentum takes them into the
kitchen, it’s a fault.
• Faults: A fault results in a point for the opponent or loss of serve. Common faults include:
➢ Serving into the net or out of bounds.
➢ Volleying from within the kitchen.
➢ Double bouncing or not following the serve-return rule.
Match Start & Toss
• A coin toss will decide the choice of serve or court side.
• If the team winning the toss chooses to serve, they decide which opposing player receives the
first serve.
• If the team winning the toss choose court side, the opponents decide which opposing player
receives the first serve.
Timeliness• Teams must report to their court within 5 minutes of match announcement.
• Late arrival results in automatic disqualification.
Group Stage Format
• Teams are divided into groups of 3.
• Each team plays 2 matches (Round-Robin within the group).
• The team with the most wins advances to the knockout stage.
Tie-breaker Rules (Group Stage)
• If all 3 teams have 1 win and 1 loss, the team with the highest total points scored advances.
• Example:
o Team 1 beats Team 2 (11–5)
o Team 2 beats Team 3 (11–9)
o Team 3 beats Team 1 (11–3)
Total Points: Team 1 = 14(11+3), Team 2 = 16(11+5), Team 3 = 20(11+9) → Team 3 advances
• In a deuce match (10–10), the final score is treated as 11–10 for point calculations.
• If points still tied, a quick playoff game to 5 points will decide the qualifier.
Knockout Stage & Wild Card Entry
• The top team from each group enters the knockout round.
• If required, wild card entries are given based on:
➢ Highest points scored in their group stage match.
➢ If tied, overall points scored in the tournament.
• All rounds after the group stage will be knockout rounds.
➢ Seeding System (Simple Explanation):
After the group stage, all advancing teams (including wild cards) are ranked from best to
lowest based on:• Matches won
• Points scored
This ranking is called seeding. The best team is Seed 1, second-best is Seed 2, and so on.
• Knockout Match Pairing (Based on Seeding):
➢ Seed 1 vs Seed 8
➢ Seed 2 vs Seed 7
➢ Seed 3 vs Seed 6
➢ Seed 4 vs Seed 5
This system ensures that top-performing teams don’t face each other too early, making it
fair and competitive.
Disputes & Code of Conduct
• All referee decisions are final.
• Misconduct such as fighting, abuse, booing, or sledging will result in immediate
disqualification.
• Any damage to equipment or venue property must be compensated by the player/team at
full value.