Kia Tennis Premier League Season 8 Heads to Hyderabad from December 8-13
The Kia Tennis Premier League is set to enter a new chapter in its growth story as Season 8 heads to Hyderabad for the first time.
The 2026 edition of the league will be held from December 8 to 13 at the LB Tennis Stadium, with eight franchise teams competing across six days of high-intensity tennis. The move to Hyderabad marks another significant step for a league that has spent seven seasons building a professional competition, a grassroots ecosystem and a wider digital platform around Indian tennis.
Season 8 will be staged under the auspices of the All India Tennis Association, with the support of the Government of Telangana. The action will be streamed live on JioHotstar, allowing fans across India to follow the competition as leading international players and some of the country's biggest tennis stars share the court.
The upcoming season will also mark a major commercial milestone for the league, with Kia India coming on board as the exclusive partner.
Hyderabad becomes the new home for Season 8.
After a successful seventh season in Ahmedabad, the Tennis Premier League is now taking its next step by entering a new sporting market. For TPL, the shift to Hyderabad is about more than changing venues. The city has a strong sporting culture and an established tennis community, making it an important destination as the league looks to expand its national footprint. The LB Tennis Stadium, one of India's largest dedicated tennis venues, will provide the setting for six days of competition.
Eight teams will compete in Season 8: GS Delhi Aces, Hyderabad Strikers, Lucknow Blazers, Gurgaon Grand Slammers, Gujarat Panthers, Rajasthan Rangers, Kolkata Thunder Blades and Mumbai Royals. The presence of the Hyderabad Strikers will add a home-city connection to the event, while the league's expansion into Telangana gives local fans an opportunity to experience professional franchise tennis in their own city.
The tournament will continue to use TPL's distinctive 25-point format, a structure designed to ensure that every point carries significance. Unlike conventional tennis matches, the format creates a faster and more dynamic contest, with teams remaining in the battle for every point until the end. That intensity has become one of the league's defining features and will once again be central to Season 8.
One of the biggest developments ahead of the new season is the arrival of Kia India as the league's exclusive partner. The partnership represents an important moment for TPL as it looks to scale the competition and improve the overall experience for players and fans. Kia has a long-standing global association with tennis, and the Season 8 partnership brings that connection closer to Indian audiences through one of the country's leading professional tennis leagues.
Kunal Thakkur, co-founder of Tennis Premier League, described the upcoming edition as a landmark moment in the competition's journey. “Season 8 is a landmark chapter for TPL, not just because we're bringing world-class tennis to Hyderabad for the first time, but because it's the first season where fans will see our partnership with Kia India come alive,” he said.
“It’s a strong signal of how far this league has come, and Hyderabad's sporting culture makes it the perfect city to take that next step in our journey.” Co-Founder Mrunal Jain also highlighted the importance of reaching new cities and audiences. “Every season, we've pushed TPL to reach new cities and new audiences. After hosting the tournament in Ahmedabad last year, Hyderabad is the next big step in that journey for us,” he said.
“With growing support from a partner like Kia India, we're able to scale the league the way we always envisioned.”
Tennis icons and celebrity team owners add to the attraction.
The league will once again combine competitive tennis with high-profile personalities from sport and entertainment. Tennis icons Leander Paes and Sania Mirza are expected to be part of the Season 8 experience, adding further star power to the event. Bollywood personalities and team co-owners Rakul Preet Singh and Sonali Bendre Behl will also be present to support their respective franchises.
Their involvement reflects the broader entertainment appeal that the Tennis Premier League has developed alongside its sporting ambitions. However, the core focus remains the tennis itself. The league will bring together international players and India's leading stars, offering Indian players a platform to compete alongside experienced global professionals.
This exposure has been one of TPL's key contributions to the domestic tennis ecosystem, giving Indian players opportunities to compete in a high-pressure franchise environment.
TPL's ambitions extend beyond its annual six-day tournament. Over the last seven seasons, the league has worked towards developing a broader ecosystem around the sport. The TPL App is now connected with more than 400 affiliated academies across India, creating a network that connects grassroots tennis with the professional side of the game.
That wider approach is particularly significant for Indian tennis, where developing stronger pathways between junior players, academies and elite competition remains crucial. The move to Hyderabad expands that ecosystem into another important region. Sri Jayesh Ranjan, IAS, Special Chief Secretary of Municipal Administration & Urban Development and Sports Department, welcomed the arrival of the league.
“Hyderabad has emerged as an important destination for hosting major sporting leagues, and we are pleased to see the Tennis Premier League becoming part of this growing sporting ecosystem,” he said. The objective, he added, aligns with Hyderabad's vision of becoming a hub for national and international sporting events.
With the dates now confirmed, attention will gradually turn towards the player line-ups and team combinations for Season 8. From December 8 to 13, the LB Tennis Stadium will become the centre of Indian franchise tennis as eight teams battle in the fast-paced 25-point format. For TPL, the Hyderabad move represents a fresh market, a new audience and a significant opportunity to grow.
For fans, it promises six days of world-class tennis featuring Indian stars, international players, sporting legends and franchise rivalries. And with Kia India now part of the journey, Season 8 is positioned as one of the biggest editions yet. The Kia Tennis Premier League is moving to Hyderabad.
Its next phase of growth begins in December.
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