Media Release

Sydney, Aug 22: The Tulu Koota Sydney Premier League (TKPL) 2026, a badminton tournament organised by Tulu Koota Sydney (TKS), was held on August 16 at APX Badminton, Thornleigh. The Udupi Smashers beat the Kundapura Royals in the final to lift the title.

An IPL Style Format

TKPL followed the same model as the IPL cricket league, with owned franchise teams and players bought through a player auction, rather than teams being picked or formed casually. Each franchise had its own owner, and squads were built by bidding for players at the auction, giving the tournament a proper league feel.

Eight Teams, One Champion

Eight franchise teams took part, each named after a place in Tulu Nadu and backed by a local business owner from the Sydney Tulu community. Kudla Falcons was owned by Akshatha Aithal of Itelix.io, Karkala Knights by Gilraj Venkatappa of 1Sell, Kundapura Royals by Surendra Shetty of AirChill Air Conditioning & Refrigeration, and Moodubidri Aces by Tina Shetty of Uncle Ji’s. Udupi Smashers was owned by Ajay Pai of Equalen Tax Advisory & Accounting, Mulki Titans by Sandeep Kumar of Santara Villas, Bantwal Blasters by Michael Rodrigues of Aus Star Sports, and Puttur Pilis by Praveen Shetty of Shuban Driving School.

Players were picked through the auction, so each team ended up with a good mix of experienced and newer talent.

Mayor Opens the Tournament

The tournament was officially opened by Hornsby Shire Mayor Warren Waddell, who inaugurated the event and played the ceremonial first serve. The opening ceremony also felicitated special guests, including para badminton player Arika Shetty and singer Nishan S.

Udupi Smashers Champions

After a full day of matches, the Udupi Smashers beat the Kundapura Royals in the final to be crowned champions of the first ever TKPL, a proud moment for the team and for Tulu Koota Sydney as a whole.

Speaking to Daijiworld, Sumeeth, Rathish and Avakash expressed their happiness at how the tournament turned out.