Heyball, the tabletop sport growing in popularity

Heyball, the tabletop sport growing in popularity


Heyball, the new kid in cue sports town, has something for everyone.

The quick-paced game is played with striped and solid balls, which appeals to pool enthusiasts. For cueists with a traditional bent of mind, the table — nine feet by five feet in size, with tight pockets — is similar to what is used in snooker, only smaller.

Universal appeal

And then there is the universal appeal — big prize money.

Heyball, also known as Chinese 8-ball, has grown in popularity in recent years. The arrival of Joy Billiards — one of China’s leading billiard table manufacturers — as sponsor and tournament organiser has taken the sport all over the world.

The financial rewards are particularly lucrative, with the World Heyball Masters Grand Finals held earlier this year offering a whopping $1,700,000 prize pool. Smaller international open-entry tournaments carry a total purse ranging from $50,000 to $140,000.

India, with its rich history in cue sports, is taking its first steps into this new world. The Billiards and Snooker Federation of India (BSFI) held the inaugural Heyball National Championships in New Delhi in August, with Delhi’s Sundeep Gulati and international snooker medallist Vidya Pillai emerging as the men’s and women’s champions respectively.

The maiden national championships reflected the growing interest in the sport in India.

Something for everyone: Heyball seems to bring together people from different walks of life, including young upstarts, seasoned pros and curious dabblers.

Something for everyone: Heyball seems to bring together people from different walks of life, including young upstarts, seasoned pros and curious dabblers.
| Photo Credit:
K. Murali Kumar

BSFI president S. Balasubramaniam explained that Indian players, generally adept at snooker and billiards, find the transition to heyball fairly easy. There are plans to host an international heyball tournament in India soon. “We have had meetings with Joy Billiards. In fact, Joy Billiards look at India as a big market. They are willing to pump in a lot of money in India. There are plans to bring a $50,000 tournament to India in December. That will be India’s first heyball tournament, which is a great starting point,” Balasubramaniam said.

For now, state associations such as the Karnataka State Billiards Association (KSBA) do not stock heyball tables. Plans are afoot to bring a couple of tables over, which will give players the chance to practise on international-standard tables.

In the meantime, Pranit Ramchandani’s Heyball Academy in Bengaluru acts as the sport’s nerve centre. A former heyball player, certified coach and sport promoter, Pranit set up India’s first heyball facility equipped with official Joy Heyball tables.

Ramchandani, who counts Vidya among his many trainees, recalled his introduction to this new phenomenon.

“A friend from Malaysia, a national snooker champion, told me about this new sport called heyball. He took me to a place called Hustlers in Malaysia. The first time I played it, it was simple and fun, when compared to snooker. I was more inclined towards snooker at the time,” Ramchandani said.

Ramchandani understood the sport’s potential when he became aware of the prize money involved. “Traditional cue sports have always lacked prize money,” he said. “It was all about being passionate, but how far can pure passion take you?”

A fairly straightforward career path in heyball adds to the appeal. Open-entry international tournaments are the best way to start.

“There is potential career growth in heyball. There are so many international events on the calendar, and all these are open championships. You don’t have to go through qualifiers like you do in snooker,” Ramchandani said.

Attractive proposition

He added that on a recent tour, the tournament organisers took care of the hotel stay expenses. “They also arranged an airport pick-up and drop. If you qualify for the main round, you get about $3,000,” Ramchandani said.

“When events happen consistently, heyball will surely take off. There will be more academies, more coaches, more training centres, and, eventually, more players playing the international circuit. From where I started, I’ve already seen so many new players come in,” he said.

Not surprisingly, young upstarts have taken to the sport. Teenager Karan Seshadri started playing snooker at the age of 10, but a meeting with Ramchandani prompted a course change.

“I initially signed up for snooker coaching. On the first day, Pranit sir told us about heyball. The name stuck the instant he said it,” Seshadri said.

In the under-19 boys’ category of the 2025 national championships, Seshadri finished as runner-up — a sign to take the sport seriously.

“When I played snooker, I used to compete only in state and national tournaments, and a few open tournaments. But with heyball, I could play international tournaments in China, Thailand and Malaysia,” Seshadri said.

“Of course, the prize money aspect is huge. I know I perhaps should not be thinking about prize money at this stage, but it was a reason why my parents and I decided that I should make the shift from snooker to heyball,” Seshadri said.

Mohit Gupta is another cueist who has taken the plunge. A bronze medal winner at the 2025 World Disability Snooker Championship, Mohit competed in heyball tournaments in the USA recently and was pleased with the experience.

“The tournament host in Los Angeles was very supportive. Most snooker events are not sponsored, but all heyball events are sponsored. Our flight tickets to the USA were covered, and we stayed in five-star hotels. We also got $60 per day for expenses,” Mohit said.

Gaining momentum: Coach Pranit Ramchandani is convinced heyball will ‘take off’. ‘More Indians have started to play it seriously — the shift is already happening,’ he says.

Gaining momentum: Coach Pranit Ramchandani is convinced heyball will ‘take off’. ‘More Indians have started to play it seriously — the shift is already happening,’ he says.
| Photo Credit:
K. Murali Kumar

Mohit is hopeful that heyball will soon feature in the Olympics and Paralympics. A step in this direction was taken in November last year, when Joy Billiards made a pitch for heyball at the 27th Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) General Assembly in Portugal.

“If heyball gets into the Paralympics and Olympics, then it will be easier to get sponsorship and spectatorship,” Mohit, a data engineer, said.

Ramchandani’s academy has brought together people from all walks of life — an indicator of the inclusive nature of the sport. Take the case of Chirag Sodha, a professional poker player and cue sports enthusiast. Sodha explained that he is exploring heyball to see what opportunities it brings. “This is a great time to give heyball a shot,” Sodha said.

‘We got this’

Currently, players from China dominate the sport, but Ramchandani is convinced that Indians have the skill and drive to compete against the best.

“I don’t think Chinese players are very superior. In terms of technique, Indians are right up there. More Indians have started to play heyball seriously — the shift is already happening. Players are slowly forgetting about snooker now,” Ramchandani said.



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