What started as a personal love for padel has grown into an event bringing together some of South Africa’s best-known personalities, sports stars and enthusiastic players. Ahead of this weekend’s Sunbet Padel Invitational at Sun City, founder Kriya Gangiah reflects on the idea behind the tournament, how it has evolved over the past two years and her ambitions for its future.
For Kriya, the inspiration came from the impact padel had on her own life. The sport helped her expand her social circle, meet new people, step outside her comfort zone and become more active. As she discovered how many of her friends in the media industry also played, she began thinking about how she could share that experience with a wider group.
Ahead of this weekend’s tournament, Kriya discusses the origins of the SunBet Padel Invitational, the meticulous process of pairing celebrity teams, and her five-year goal to rival South Africa’s biggest sporting events.
Take us back to the beginning. What inspired you to conceptualise and launch the Sunbet Padel Invitational, and where did the idea originally come from?
Padel is a very integral part of how I changed my social life and changed my circles, and I wanted to be able to share that with other people. It really helped me meet new people, get out of my comfort zone, experience something new, and get fit. Through that, I’ve also experienced that a lot of my friends in the media industry play padel as well. So, I thought, why am I the only one enjoying this process of getting to play with very cool celebrities when everyone can? That’s how I came up with the idea of why not do it as a celeb versus padel enthusiast competition.
Why padel? What was it about the sport that made you feel it had the potential to bring people together in a unique way?
Padel is the fastest-growing sport in the world at the moment, and there’s a reason why. It is so easy to get into and it’s so much fun. You don’t need to have a lot of ball skills; you just need to be able to hit a ball with a bat, and it gets those endorphins going. I think it’s the easiest way to get moving, especially for people in their 30s who might be used to chilling on the couch and taking it a bit easy. It’s a really nice sport to get you out and moving again.
As the founder and organiser, what was your vision for the tournament when you launched, and how close have you come to realising that vision?
My vision for this tournament was just to have a great time, to bring really cool people together, play some sport, and have a bit of fun, and that’s exactly where we are. We’ve grown over the last two years into a bit of a machine, but it is something that I thoroughly enjoy. More people want to get involved, and more brands want to get involved, so the business side of it is growing as well. It’s moving from one level to the next.
How has the tournament evolved from its first year to this year’s instalment? Are there any exciting additions, changes, or new experiences that attendees can look forward to?
The tournament itself has evolved quite a lot. We’ve started including a wider variety of South African celebrities. We initially started mostly with sportsmen and women, but now we’ve expanded into the media, lifestyle, and entertainment spaces. This year, for the very first time, we’ve also added a little bit of golf, where a select group of our celebrities will be joining some of our VVIPs for a round of golf. I think this is going to become a very integral part of the tournament moving forward. We know that golf and padel go hand in hand, so it’s just a natural progression.
There are a number of top South African celebrities taking part in the upcoming tournament in Sun City. What goes into the thought process when pairing the celebrity contestants?
Pairing celebrities is probably one of the biggest tasks for this competition! You don’t want a celebrity team to be too strong or too weak. You want them to have fun, so the personalities have to match. We really go into a lot of detail when pairing our celebrities. We look at all elements, from who the person is, what they like, and what they do for a living, all the way down to how well they play padel, and we pair them accordingly.
Where would you like to see the Sunbet Padel Invitational in the next three to five years?
In the next five years, I feel like we could even get to the levels of a Nedbank Golf Challenge or the SA20. I’m shooting for the stars here, but I want this to be one of the flagship sporting events in South Africa, and I think we can get there. The platform is certainly growing from strength to strength.
While the invitational is centred around the players and the competition, members of the public will also have the opportunity to watch the action and experience the atmosphere as the tournament unfolds at Sun City – for free! Fans and spectators can register online at www.padelinvitational.co.za to secure their place at one of South Africa’s most exciting sporting and entertainment events.
Event Details
Dates: 14/15 November 2026
Time: 08:00 – 17:00 daily
Venue: Sun Padel, Sun City
Tickets: Free entry (registration and entry into Sun City required)
Register: www.padelinvitational.co.za
The Sunbet Padel Invitational is presented in partnership with Sunbet, Sun City, Heineken, Lepas and Jacaranda FM.
For more information, visit www.padelinvitational.co.za.
