Major League Pickleball Australia 2025: Team previews and tournament analysis

In a move that had every household in Australia gasping, I chose not to play Major League Pickleball Australia this year. Go Brumbies. BUT, since I won’t be on court, that means I can chirp on the sidelines and throw shade from a distance. (I won’t actually be throwing shade).

Here’s some info about the season and my take on MLPA in 2025.

The 2025 MLPA season will be the biggest yet. It’s the first time MLPA will feature one year-long season with the January draft picks playing together from now through September.

More events could mean more emphasis on teams growing together to come out on top at the end, or it could result in a clear standout team winning back-to-back from the outset. We’ll see how that plays out.

The format is the same from last year, but slightly expanded. After the two “group stage” rounds (which are still not actually groups), this season, the top 8 teams advance to the knockout rounds instead of 6.

This means almost all teams who go 1-1 in the group stage should get a chance to battle it out in the quarter finals, and the randomness of the two “group stage” matches is less punishing. I like the change.

For those new to the MLPA format: each match consists of a women’s doubles, men’s doubles, and two mixed doubles games. If teams split these four games, they head to the dream breaker – a single game to 21, rally-scoring, and singles format where each member of the team rotates after 4 points.

A common theme in any team league draft in Australia (MLPA/NPL) is the lack of depth in the women’s player pool. With a bunch of the top women’s players in Aus not playing in MLPA this year, this lack of depth was emphasised.

The rules surrounding international players were softened to improve this depth and the optics of the league/quality of play, but the male captains were at a significant disadvantage to the ladies when drafting teams.

Expect to see this reflected in the results of the season.

The dust had almost settled from draft day when a handful of international players had to withdraw, leaving their teams scrambling for replacements.

Three permanent replacements have been made leading into the first event of the season. The Walker sisters, Angie (Stars) and Alex (Smash), were drafted to MLP teams in the US, and Zoey Weil (Vipers) has decided to prioritise playing in the US as well.

All three ladies can be spotted in the draws of this weekend’s PPA North Carolina event in the US instead of standing alongside their MLPA captains in Tweed. Michelle Esquivel (Hustle) was also drafted to an MLP US team, but has chosen to continue to play in MLPA, at least for now.

Semi hot-take but this early chaos might be a preview of what’s to come… There were a couple of international players last year that kinda gave up on their team and chose (made an excuse) not to play the last event of the season. With double the number of events this year, I expect there will be a few more of these mid-season pull outs as international players decide it’s not worth the time or money to travel to Aus if their team is struggling and only taking home the minimum prize money per event.

Hopefully this doesn’t happen, and the players respect their captains and the league enough to follow through with their commitments, but it may be impossible to control.

Team DUPR: 21.36
Roster: Aaron Blitz (C), Nicola Schoeman (replaced by Bee Horsley for Tweed), Albie Huang (replaced by Isabelle Papazyan for Tweed), Joey Farias

The Blitzkrieg staying on as captain of the Mavs in 2025 was so overwhelmingly celebrated by the city of Melbourne that they added pickleball to the Australian Open. Crazy.

Nabbing first pick seems to have been a blessing and a curse in this draft.

You get to take the obvious first pick in Nicola, but then have to wait an eternity for that second pick as the limited female depth drops off. Albie is a bit of an unknown/gamble pick, but one you almost have to take in that position – hopefully it’s not a bust. Then with his final pick, Blitzy continued his trend of bringing in old-timers (in the pickleball world) by taking Joey Farias. I would have expected a higher upside/alpha energy pick to boost the team, but Farias brings both high-level playing and coaching experience with him, which, paired with Nicola’s potential as an emerging talent, could bode well for the Mavs.

A lot of this team’s success rides on her shoulders. If they can get to a dreambreaker (DB), Blitzy just has to pretend he’s playing me out there and they’ll cruise to a match win.

Team DUPR: 21.89
Roster: Kenta Miyoshi (C), Aiko Yoshitomo, Caden Nemoff, Marcela Donatoni

The Aces head office started their 2025 campaign with a personnel change at the top, bringing in Kenta Miyoshi for Venise Chan and hopefully some success with it. With his first ever MLPA decision, we found out that the price of a happy marriage is pick two of the MLPA draft. I doubt that Aiko would’ve been there still at pick 23, so Kenta found himself in a tricky spot.

I like the Nemoff pick – crafty player from the US who knows his pickle. Then backed up by Marcela who’s had some success playing in Brazil – we’ll see how that level compares to Aus.

Caden may have to do some heavy lifting on this team in the doubles department, but with a few strong singles players on their side that could be enough to get match wins via the 2+DB scenario (2 games plus dreambreaker).

Team DUPR: 22.63
Roster: Sarah Burr (C), Thaddea Lock, Vanshik Kapadia (replaced by Vish Masand for Tweed), Yuvi Ruia

Being able to Lock (hehe) in your women’s doubles pairing in the first round without burning a US player pick shows the massive advantage female captains have in MLPA. Sarah’s done just that with her draft strategy, giving almost endless freedom from that point on. Sarah and Thaddea should combine to win a majority of their women’s doubles matches, and, importantly, neither of them are an easy target in mixed.

I like the Vanshik pick. He’s had success around Asia, but we’ll see how he does in Australia (once he figures out how to get a visa on time). Yuvi’s current level is still to be determined. He hasn’t played many competitive matches since clapping me with his Mod paddle at PPA GC last year. He does add +1000 aura to his team through being the pickle prince, so that’s chill.

This team should be pushing to win matches outright.

Team DUPR: 21.94
Roster: Andie Dikosavljevic (C), Jamie Haas, Willy Chung (replaced by Rob Stirling for Tweed + NZ), Prycen Haas

Death, taxes, and the crocs being contenders for MLPA championships… There aren’t many gaps in this crocs lineup – a well rounded team in both singles and doubles.

Jamie brings big energy along with a big level, making her a no brainer pick at #3 since (for some reason) Hawaiians don’t count as a US pick. Her talents were somewhat hidden on the Aces last year, but she did a lot of winning recently in India and I expect big things in MLPA this year. The lefty pick will send Andie to the left side of the court in women’s doubles where she’ll need to get comfy.

Willy Chung is currently undefeated (5-0) in a crocs uniform from his fill-in in Vietnam. If he brings the same level from that event, this team will be firing. And despite the Prycen pick maybe not being the best option on paper, the family connection could be huge for team chemistry.

Look for the crocs to be right up there at each event this year. Also, side note: Rob Stirling stepping in for Willy Chung for the first couple of events could arguably be an upgrade. It’s criminal that he wasn’t drafted to a team.

Team DUPR: 21.81
Roster: Andy Horridge (C), Mihae Kwon, Ella Boydston (permanently replacing Zoey Weil) (replaced by Aleisha Horridge for Tweed), Ryan Henry

I doubt the handsome Mr. Horridge has ever been left on read, so it must have been confusing when he asked Zoey what flight she booked for event 1, and never heard back.

If you take the Vipers’ lineup from last season and remove an almost guaranteed women’s dubs win, that’s the new reality. Granted, the overall women’s dubs level has dropped in 2025, so it’s not all doom and gloom.

Taking Mihae at pick 5 was good for leaving future options open – she was impressive as a sub for the Mavs last year, has achieved doubles success around Asia, and is a strong singles player to boot. I’ve never seen Ella Boydston play and there aren’t too many results in dupr so plenty of unknown – she may just be the secret weapon to this vipers team.

The last pick of Ryan brings consistency, familiarity for Andy in men’s doubles, and a whole bunch of stats for the team to analyse. With 6 events instead of 3 for the season, this data may be crucial. The team does have three great singles players so if they can get to two wins, as they did so often last season, they’re a sniff.

Team DUPR: 22.90
Roster: Roos van Reek (C), Paula Rives Palau, Rob Cassidy, Mayur Patil (replaced by Conor Robertshawe for Tweed)

Bondi looks to be starting their MLPA story right where the Fast Fours (RIP) finished theirs. I find it hard to see this team losing many matches, let alone games.

Roos has had great success in the MLP format and I think she will thrive in a captain’s role – great player, great energy, loves winning.

She’s used a solid draft position to nab one of the best girls available, creating a women’s doubles pairing that may be unbeatable. Once again, completing women’s dubs early is such a huge advantage.

Rounding out the team with strong left- and right-side mens and mixed doubles players in Rob and Mayur makes for a scary team on paper. Rob’s a top tier bloke btw. If the chemistry clicks for this team (and the whole roster can get past immigration), expect the Backpackers™ to be a force this season.

Team DUPR: 21.76
Roster: Katy Hart (C), Lucas Pascoe, Lauren Mercado, Aryaan Bhatia

I haven’t done the math but this has to be the youngest team on the list. They’ll be entertaining to watch and probably have the biggest difference between their best and worst of any team. I expect some big upsets paired with some head scratchers this season, and it’ll be a whole lot of fun to watch.

Lucas thrived under George’s guidance last year, earning himself the spot of first male player picked in this draft. If he keeps his head on straight, he and Katy should be a formidable mixed pair.

Despite being young, Lauren has plenty of experience competing in the US, and Aryaan comes with huge upside given his tennis background and training partners in India. He’s the better Bhatia too.

Every player on this team brings energy, it’s just a case of how that energy is channelled. The Rush also have the best team colours in the league, which should count for something.

Team DUPR: 22.54
Roster: Jai Grewal (C), Olivia McMillan (permanently replacing Angie Walker) (replaced by Kat Westbury for Tweed), Louis Laville, Naimi Mehta

The stars were cooked by Angie Walker pulling out on them, but getting Olivia McMillan as a backup, a player who’s competed at the highest level in the US, is a decent result. Jai’s put together a solid team that is quite experienced.

Louis is a strong right-sider and mixed player with some unique shots, and brings that #franklinfamily connection to the team chemistry. I’m surprised Naimi was available in round three – a flexible teammate surrounded by good training partners back home.

I don’t see the Stars getting clapped by anyone, but I think they’ll need either Jai or Louis to step up and play big in mixed to get to three wins. They may not be able to plan for a 2+DB strategy with some of the singles talent on other teams.

Team DUPR: 22.84
Roster: Kyle Whatnall (C), Michelle Esquivel, Talia Saunders, Santhosh Narayanan

New captain Kyle has whipped together a solid lineup here for the Huzz.

The more events Michelle can commit to, the better I like this team. She’s proven to bring big energy to her team (for better or worse), which is sneaky important in the MLP format, and can reuse her playing shirts from last year to save costs for the league. I rate the Talia pick to round out the women early, and think she’ll pair well with Michelle.

Getting a high DUPR US-based player in Santhosh in round three is good value (should have counted as an international pick btw).

On paper this is one of the highest DUPR teams in the league. They do probably need to find 3 game wins rather than expecting a 2+DB situation to get a W imo. If Michelle dips out after a couple of rounds, the Huzz will be in trouble, but since her partner Rob is competing in MLPA as well I’m sure she’ll find a way to balance Aus/US scheduling.

Team DUPR: 22.30
Roster: George Wall (C), Sarah Hua, Jack Wong, Katie Morris

The Brisbane Breakers head office with the biggest heist of the off-season, stealing reigning champion George Wall from the Fast Fours in an attempt to bring the Breakers back to their glory days of 2023.

The Fours losing their hero was crushing, and resulted in the entire organisation being shipped off to Bondi.

And after all of that, George’s back is going to be tested this year. This is a high upside team that I expect to get better as the season goes on, but it may require a big effort early on by the captain. I like this team’s chances about as much as any if they go to a dreambreaker, so if George can get his team to that point they have a real shot.

Both George and Jack are primarily left-side players, which is handy for mixed, but their men’s duo might take some time to kick into gear. Jack will be a very strong player by September.

I don’t know too much about either women’s player: Katie has had some success in Europe, and Sarah has been competing around about the pro level in the US for a couple of years.

Since the prize money really ramps up for event 6, this team could start off slow but end up taking home more dollars than any other.

Team DUPR: 22.24
Roster: Mitch Hargreaves (C), Connie Lee (Replacing Alex Walker), Bee Massih, Kim Eunggwon

Another team whose season has been hurt by a player pulling out.

I think early in the season, Mitch will have to go big and get two wins for the team while he’s on court. The men’s doubles pairing is formidable, and the first mixed pairing would have been too with Alex, but now that’s a bit less convincing.

I’m not sure who steps up with Mitch to be the top mixed pair. Connie is a player with a lot of potential, and having now set up base in Vietnam, could improve dramatically. Massih is a Sydney local which helps for team training, and she’s a battler on the court. They also have a strong Korea connection through Connie and Kim.

That’s two big fan bases pulling for the team in pink. Look for them to be another team improving as the season progresses.

Team DUPR: 21.72
Roster: Sarah Jane Lim (C), Leander Lazaro (replaced by Quan Do for Tweed), Vrushali Thakkare (replaced by Sophia Huynh for Tweed), Ricky Lin

Respect to the surge for being an all-Asia team, but it may have come at the cost of competitiveness.

Taking Leander early may be another case of favouring team chemistry over pick value, with Sarah Jane maybe not confident in him being there at pick 30. The pair from the Phillipines have proven to be a strong team over a long time period.

With mostly passive and consistent players, I don’t see anyone on this team being a true weakness (turns out they also match up poorly against the Australian border). I don’t see the opposite either… someone on this team will need to step up and be a match winner.

If they can fight their way to a dream breaker, they have 3 solid singles players in their lineup that can get them over the line in a 2+DB scenario.

The miss of the draft, in my opinion, was Jordan Chrysostum. Huge upside player out of the US whose name was mixed in with dozens of other US players on draft day. Tough for a male captain to find two non-international females to allow that pick, but I think some of the female captains could have struck gold there.

The other interesting shift this year is the mid-season shuffle draft. Teams are locked in for the full calendar year, but captains will have one opportunity mid-season to swap a player. This adds another layer of strategy: will captains hold onto a struggling player hoping they’ll find their rhythm, or pull the trigger on a change? This should help balance out teams as they head to the pointy end of the season. Keen to see how that plays out in a few months.

This season will be fun to watch. I’ll probably be supporting players rather than teams, with a soft spot for teams who picked up Aussies.

As with all Aussie pickleball ventures, I hope that MLPA can continue to build their product this year to attract more players, viewers, and sponsors to Aussie pickle. It’ll be tougher for them to showcase purely Aussie talent, since a lot have moved to NPL, but I hope they do try and promote our players.

On the same note, I hope the players coming from overseas help push our level up, with more access to high-level practice and tournament play.

Cheers