2025 MLP Season Preview with Predictions

The Major League Pickleball (MLP) season is right around the corner, less than a week away. As excitement builds for another year of elite pickleball competition, let’s dive into a comprehensive preview of the 2025 season, examining each team’s prospects and making some bold predictions.

Understanding the 2025 MLP Season

Before we get into team-by-team breakdowns, it’s important to understand the key changes and updates for the 2025 MLP season. Here are some helpful resources to get you up to speed:

Rules for 2025

Schedule for 2025

2025 Schedule
2025 Team by Team Schedule
MLP Orlando Match Schedule – First event of the year

Teams and Rosters for 2025

These resources will give you a solid foundation for understanding the structure and dynamics of the 2025 MLP season. Now, let’s dive into our team-by-team preview, starting with the teams predicted to finish at the bottom of the standings and working our way up to the championship contenders.

Team-by-Team Preview

16. New York Hustlers

2024 Regular Season Standings: 6th (36 pts)

The New York Hustlers made some significant moves in the offseason, accumulating over $300,000 in trades. However, they chose not to spend heavily in the draft, which may impact their competitiveness in 2025.

The men’s doubles pairing of Zane Ford and Donald Young shows potential, but lacks proven results on the PPA Tour. They may pull off a few upsets, but consistency could be an issue early in the season.

On the women’s side, the Hustlers field what appears to be the weakest team in the Premier Level. It’s likely we’ll see Lingwei Kong getting some playing time if either Spriridis or Schaefer struggle.

The Hustlers’ best path to victory seems to be Ford winning both his men’s doubles and mixed doubles matches, followed by a team win in the Dreambreaker. However, this scenario doesn’t seem likely to occur frequently given the current roster composition.

Projected 2025 Record: 3-22

Projected 2025 Standing: 16th

15. SoCal Hard Eights

2024 Regular Season Standings: 2nd (41 pts) – Challenger Level

The SoCal Hard Eights appear to be in a rebuilding year, having spent the minimum amount possible in the draft. This strategy suggests they may be looking towards future seasons rather than immediate success.

The women’s doubles pairing presents some challenges. While Castillo is accustomed to playing on the right side, Irina is no longer considered a Premier Level left-side player. It’s possible we’ll see Castillo attempt to transition to the left, leveraging her exceptional athleticism.

In men’s doubles, Fu recently had a strong showing with Zane Navratil in a PPA event, but both Fu and Jakovljevic lack consistent high-level results. Hovenier, drafted as a substitute, could potentially work his way into the starting lineup if the primary players struggle.

The mixed doubles lineups may see some experimentation. If either woman has difficulty playing the left side with Ivan, we might see Hovenier step in to provide more comfort and stability.

Projected 2025 Record: 4-21

Projected 2025 Standing: 15th

14. Miami Pickleball Club

2024 Regular Season Standings: T-3rd (39 pts) – Challenger Level

Miami returns two players from last year’s squad – Rane and Khlif. Rane was retained, while Miami traded Oncins for Khlif during the 2025 draft.

Jay Devilliers has been performing exceptionally well in 2025 following a minor knee procedure late in 2024. Both Devilliers and Khlif bring athleticism and upset potential to the men’s doubles matches. While Khlif has yet to medal on the PPA Tour, he’s made impressive runs with partners like Rafa Hewett.

In women’s doubles, despite Rane’s shorter stature, she’s likely to play the left side most of the time. Bui projects as a dominant right-side player with more experience. Bui is the X-factor for this team, drafted for her potential. The key question is how quickly she can adapt to competing against the elite players in the league.

Three Breakout Player Candidates Headed into MLP 2025

Projected 2025 Record: 6-19

Projected 2025 Standing: 14th

13. Atlanta Bouncers

2024 Regular Season Standings: T-3rd (39 pts) – Challenger Level

The Atlanta Bouncers had an intriguing offseason. They retained both Jaume Martinez Vich (Challenger Level MVP) and Todd Fought, who posted an impressive 15-8 record together in the Challenger Level last year.

Glozman, acquired via trade, is a top-tier right-side player who hasn’t competed much on the PPA Tour in recent months due to contractual issues. She’ll be eager to prove herself again in MLP after a strong showing with D.C. last year.

DiMuzio, the newest addition to the team, brings athleticism and potential. She prefers playing left in women’s doubles and right in mixed doubles, which should complement the team’s composition well. Atlanta’s success this season will largely depend on how quickly DiMuzio can adapt to the Premier Level competition.

The Bouncers aren’t particularly strong in Dreambreakers, so they’ll need to secure wins in regulation play. This could prove challenging given their current roster.

Projected 2025 Record: 7-18

Projected 2025 Standing: 13th

12. Utah Black Diamonds

2024 Regular Season Standings: 12th (14 pts)

The Black Diamonds were quite active at the 2024 trade deadline, acquiring cash for players. Garnett and Loong are the only remaining players from last year’s roster.

Garnett and Loong went 6-13 together last year but have been performing well on the PPA Tour, both ranked just outside the top 20 in men’s doubles this year. Their success will be crucial for keeping the Black Diamonds competitive in matches.

Jones has significantly evolved her game over the past 12-18 months. Previously known for her defensive skills, Allyce has added more offensive firepower to her repertoire. She’s won four medals on the PPA Tour and is currently playing some of the best pickleball of her career.

Safdar is the wild card for this team. As one of the few MLP players to come through the collegiate pickleball ranks, she was a DUPR All-American last year and recently signed with the UPA. Safdar can play either side but slightly prefers the left, so she’s likely to play left in both women’s and mixed doubles.

If Safdar struggles to adapt quickly, Genie Erokhina could step in as a solid left-side player, particularly in mixed doubles with Loong.

With strong team chemistry and energy, the Black Diamonds could potentially upset some favored teams throughout the season.

Projected 2025 Record: 8-17

Projected 2025 Standing: 12th

11. Phoenix Flames

2024 Regular Season Standings: 8th (29 pts)

The Flames have been one of the most active teams in trades over the past year, making numerous moves in the offseason. They successfully drafted both Jack Sock and Genie Bouchard.

The women’s doubles pairing of Bouchard and Jessie may struggle against top teams. While Bouchard has been working on her doubles game, she hasn’t yet achieved any breakthrough results.

In men’s doubles, Jack and Tyson are likely to be mid-tier. For them to win consistently, Sock will need to reduce his unforced errors while maintaining his aggressive style.

Jessie excels in mixed doubles, and I anticipate Tyson and Jessie playing as the first mixed team. They could rack up several wins, especially if they face opponents’ second-best mixed lineups.

The Flames’ strategy may revolve around reaching Dreambreakers, where they have a strong team. If Jessie can improve her Dreambreaker performance from last year (33% winning percentage) to around 40%, the team could secure some crucial victories.

Projected 2025 Record: 9-16

Projected 2025 Standing: 11th

10. Chicago Slice

2024 Regular Season Standings: 1st (44 pts) – Challenger Level

The Slice faced a significant challenge in the offseason due to the new rule allowing only UPA-signed players. As a result, they couldn’t retain any players from last year’s Challenger Level Championship-winning squad.

However, they had an excellent draft and are likely to be the most competitive team moving up from Challenger to Premier in 2025.

Ignatowich enters the season with something to prove. A year and a half ago, he was considered the second-best mixed doubles player behind Ben Johns. However, he hasn’t medaled on the PPA Tour in over 130 days in 2025. His performance will be crucial for the Slice’s success – if he can maintain a high level of play consistently, Chicago could finish much higher than the 10th place I’m predicting.

Freeman remains somewhat of an unknown quantity. He’s shown flashes of brilliance mixed with periods of inconsistency. If he can raise his baseline performance as the season progresses, he’ll be a significant asset to the team.

The women on this team are well-established players. Callie has improved her game in 2025 and will likely play on the left. Viv hasn’t matched her 2024 success so far in 2025, but the team will be hoping she finds her rhythm in MLP.

Projected 2025 Record: 11-14

Projected 2025 Standing: 10th

9. Carolina Hogs

2024 Regular Season Standings: 10th (26 pts)

We haven’t seen Collin and Ben play together since their victory at The Masters in January. Their partnership in MLP might be more relaxed and creative without the pressure of consistent weekly play together.

Christian recently had an impressive fourth-place finish with Christa Gecheva at Red Rock, but I don’t anticipate Christian and Emmrich winning many women’s doubles matches. In Dreambreakers, the Hogs will heavily rely on Ben and Kaitlyn to secure a majority of points.

The big question for this team is the level of effort from Ben and Collin. Last year saw a noticeable drop in their intensity, with Collin even expressing some frustrations with MLP. Their combined 16-7 record in men’s doubles in 2024 was good, but not exceptional by their standards.

The team’s start will be crucial. If they begin the season strongly, both Ben and Collin are likely to stay engaged and give their full effort. However, if they struggle early, we might see another season where they don’t play to their full potential. With seven matches in the first two events, we should get a clear indication of their commitment level right away.

Projected 2025 Record: 12-13

Projected 2025 Standing: 9th

8. Orlando Squeeze

2024 Regular Season Standings: 9th (28 pts)

The Squeeze were one of the biggest underperforming teams in 2024. While some teams finished worse, expectations were high for Orlando. They faced challenges with injuries, illnesses, and a perceived lack of effort towards the end of the season.

This new-look team is intriguing. I’m very optimistic about Fed, Dylan, and Lacy as individual players. Parker is the biggest unknown, having only played in MLP during last year’s Mid-Season Tournament as a substitute for the Bay Area Breakers.

If Parker can win at least 30% of her games, this team has the potential to be very competitive. They’re also a sneakily good Dreambreaker team, easily in the top 5 in that category.

The mixed doubles lineups are still uncertain. Will Orlando create an A team and a B team, or will they go with more balanced 1a and 1b teams? Initially, I expect Fed to play with Lacy and Dylan with Samantha, but this could change as the season progresses.

Projected 2025 Record: 13-12

Projected 2025 Standing: 8th