Mad Drops’ Championship Quest: How LA’s MLP Franchise Is Redefining Power Plays

The 2026 Major League Pickleball (MLP) season, presented by DoorDash, has officially commenced. This marks the sixth season for MLP, tracing its origins back to an exhibition event in November 2021 at the now-defunct Dreamland facility in Dripping Springs, Texas. The league has undergone significant evolution since that initial weekend.

The current season is anticipated to be the most structured and well-planned in MLP’s history. Following several years of pre-merger challenges, the chaotic 2024 season due to merger delays, and the 2025 season’s entanglement with PPA events, 2026 ushers in a unified league with 20 teams and a robust schedule.

To aid new followers, MLP has released informational videos explaining the revised season structure, designed to enhance the significance of individual weekend tournaments and generate excitement. Early indications from the inaugural weekend suggest a notable improvement in event quality compared to some previous seasons.

• League structure & season overview
• Event format overview
• Match format overview

Key resources for following the current event include livestreams available on MLP’s YouTube channel and PickleballTV.com. Additionally, a comprehensive set of data-focused links is provided below for dedicated MLP enthusiasts.

• MLP Dallas Week 1 Event home page
• MLP Dallas Media Notes, featuring player news, rosters, etc.
• League Standings and Team/Player Stats
• MLP 2026 Schedule alongside Rosters for the 20 Premier League Teams

Transaction Recap & Player News

Leading up to the weekend, the following player transactions and roster changes were announced:

• Due to a suspension extending from December 2025, Parris Todd, Columbus’s top female player, will miss this event, potentially impacting the Slider’s initial performance. Danni-Elle Townsend, an MLP newcomer from Australia, and recently acquired Alix Truong will step in, forming a formidable partnership. Their group includes strong competitors: Orlando, New Jersey, Dallas, and Phoenix.
• Reports indicating that Tyra Black, Dallas’s No. 1 female player, might be sidelined due to injury were unfounded, though injury concerns persist.
• Daria Walczak, Phoenix’s second-ranked female player, is out and will be replaced by Alexa Schull, a promising teenager and recent PPA signee. Schull faces immediate pressure as the Flames are not favored to secure a win in Dallas.

News and Noteworthy

Here are some notable updates and news items concerning MLP preceding the event:

• On May 16, 2026, a trade sent Callie Smith and an estimated $200,000 to Las Vegas, with Brooke Buckner moving to Dallas. The strategic benefit of this move for Dallas remains uncertain.
• On May 15, 2026, the first waiver period of the 2026 MLP season saw several minor moves, including two significant team adjustments by the Carolina Hogs.
• On May 15, 2026, MLP communicated minor schedule adjustments and a significant rule change to the media: “No MLP team may, at any point, roster three players of the same gender who are each ranked in the PPA Top 20 of their respective gendered doubles. Any proposed trade that would violate this restriction will be rejected by the league.” This rule appears designed to prevent strategic tanking or team stacking.
• On April 29, 2026, MLP announced the adoption of the Life Time LT Pro 48 ball for the 2026 season, aligning with PPA standards. This change was anticipated due to Life Time’s relationship with the PPA and the desire for player consistency across leagues.

Premier League Group Stage Match Recap

Day 1 Observations

• In the Columbus Sliders’ opening match as defending champions, Danni-Elle Townsend made a striking debut, demonstrating strong control from the left side to secure an 11-5 victory. In men’s doubles, Jack Sock partnered with Staksrud, and after an initial adjustment period, they secured a decisive 11-6 win against Daescu & Klinger. Following a split in mixed doubles, Orlando asserted dominance in the second men’s doubles match, winning 21-7.
• Brooke Buckner, a new addition to the Dallas team, made an immediate impact, winning in both men’s and mixed doubles as the host team defeated the youthful Phoenix Flames 3-1.

Day 2 Observations

• In a surprising upset, Columbus defeated New Jersey 3-1. After splitting the men’s doubles matches, Columbus swept both mixed doubles contests. New Jersey’s decision to split their top pairing of ALW and Howells seemed to disrupt their chemistry, while Townsend continued to impress, and Alix Truong held her own against Waters in their doubles match.
• Dallas secured a sweep in men’s doubles, but Orlando claimed both mixed doubles matches to force a DreamBreaker. In the decisive match, Dallas’s Albie Huang, substituting for Tyra Black, showcased remarkable play and dominated Lacy Schneemann, leading Dallas to a narrow victory over Orlando in a contest between mid-tier teams.
• Anna Leigh Waters delivered a dominant performance against Dallas and New Jersey, winning both her ties 11-1 and powering her team to victory in the featured match of the group. Despite New Jersey’s men’s doubles pairing losing 11-2 to JW & Ge, the tie was ultimately decided when New Jersey targeted Buckner in the second mixed doubles match.

Day 3 Observations

• In a highly anticipated match between the two most recent MLP champions, Columbus and Dallas, Andrei Daescu proved instrumental, leading his team to a victory over the hosts and securing the group title due to their earlier win against New Jersey.
• In what was expected to be a straightforward win for the top-seeded New Jersey team, Jack Sock delivered a stellar performance, securing two wins to propel Orlando to a DreamBreaker. However, New Jersey’s singles players asserted their dominance in the DreamBreaker, winning 21-11 and maintaining pressure in the group standings.
• In a thrilling match of the weekend, Los Angeles overcame an initial 0-2 deficit against St. Louis after losing both men’s doubles matches. Ben Johns then orchestrated a complete turnaround in mixed doubles, with Parenteau securing a crucial win in the second mixed match. LA decisively won the DreamBreaker, securing a statement victory and the group title.

Group Stage Results

The group stage concluded with the following standings, which determined the final day’s matchups:

• Group A: Columbus Sliders, New Jersey, Dallas, Orlando, Phoenix

The Columbus Sliders, despite missing their top female player, upset the heavily favored New Jersey team to win the group, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the MLP format. Phoenix finished the weekend as the sole winless team.

• Group B: LA Mad Drops, St. Louis Shock, Texas Ranchers, Utah Black Diamonds, Bay Area Breakers, Carolina Hogs.

The veteran LA Mad Drops team delivered a scintillating performance in their final group stage match on Saturday night, with Ben Johns demonstrating his renowned skill. Utah, Bay Area, and Carolina tied for fourth place, with unpublished tiebreakers ultimately awarding Utah the fourth seed from the group.

Super Monday Event Finals

The final day of the 2026 season featured Event Standings matches. The Group A winner faced the Group B winner for first place, second-place teams competed for third, third-place teams for fifth, and so on. Here is a recap of the final matches:

• Event 1st Place match: Following another win by Townsend, Ben Johns and the LA Mad Drops secured a surprising victory for the weekend, clinching the Dallas championship title.
• Event 3rd Place match: In what was anticipated to be the final, the St. Louis Shock secured third place, with Howells ending the weekend on a losing streak and Goins of STL delivering a decisive performance in the DreamBreaker.
• Event 5th Place match: Dallas efficiently defeated Texas, sweeping men’s doubles and winning the first mixed doubles match to secure fifth place.
• Event 7th Place match: Orlando comfortably defeated Utah 3-1 to claim seventh place.
• The ninth and tenth places went to Bay Area and Phoenix, respectively, with each team earning one standing point. Neither team competed on Sunday.
• Carolina secured eleventh place, finishing last in their group and thus last for the weekend, despite achieving one match win compared to Phoenix’s zero. They earned zero event standing points.

Player Stats Analysis for the Weekend

A brief overview of the weekend’s top-performing and lowest-performing players:

• Unsurprisingly, Anna Leigh Waters led in both matches won (9-1 record) and points percentage (70%). Her sole loss occurred in mixed doubles against Columbus.
• The majority of the top individual performers hailed from the St. Louis Shock and the Dallas team, who demonstrated strong play throughout the weekend, except in the crucial group final.
• Jack Sock stood out as the best player from teams outside the top four, achieving a 7-3 record and showcasing impressive right-side play and mixed doubles dominance.
• MLP newcomer Alexa Schull had the most challenging weekend, finishing with an 0-8 record and winning only 31% of her points for Phoenix. The rest of the Flames also struggled.
• Utah’s female players experienced significant difficulties, collectively going 4-20. For Utah to achieve playoff aspirations, roster adjustments may be necessary. Columbus appears to have a surplus of capable female players who could be available for the right offer.

What did we learn this weekend?

Key takeaways from this weekend’s competition:

1. After an initial slump in his first match, where he and partner Max Freeman lost to Connor Garnett & Tama Shimabukuro, Ben Johns rediscovered his dominant form. In the marquee matchup against St. Louis, he was exceptionally dominant, particularly in mixed doubles, leading his team to victory. He finished the weekend with a 9-3 record, indicating a strong return to form.
2. Danni-Elle Townsend made a remarkable debut in US MLP, showcasing impressive control on the left side and improving throughout the week. Her performance raises questions about Columbus’s lineup upon Parris Todd’s return. Notably, Columbus reached the final without their top female player, hinting at their potential strength with a full roster.
3. The observation of Jack Sock playing on the right side during Orlando’s first match proved astute. Sock and his partner Federico achieved consistent wins throughout the weekend. Sock played with renewed vigor, significantly elevating Orlando’s performance beyond preseason expectations, which had them ranked seventh or eighth. Sock finished 7-3 overall, with notable wins against Howells/Khlif and Daescu/Klinger, and a 4-1 record in mixed doubles.
4. The new format proved exciting, with teams vying for position and a single loss eliminating them from championship contention. A significant tie-breaking scenario emerged in Group B, where Utah, Bay Area, and Carolina finished with identical 1-4 records, leading to complex unpublished tiebreakers. Utah secured the fourth seed based on point differential, having tied Bay Area in match wins, game wins, and game differential.
5. Singles specialists were strategically deployed in DreamBreakers with mixed results. Alex Crum substituted for Daescu, going 3-5 against Jack Sock. Albie Huang replaced Hurricane Tyra Black, achieving a 6-2 record against Lacy Schneemann. John Lucian Goins subbed for Gabe Tardio, going 3-8 against Ben Johns. Gabriel Joseph replaced Max Freeman, finishing 5-4 against Hayden Patriquin. The effectiveness of substituting a warmed-up player for a potentially fatigued specialist remains a tactical question.

Media Pick’em Contest Update

MLP enthusiast Matty Pickles (Matt Klitch) organized a season-long Media MLP Pick’em Contest, pitting various media personalities against each other as prognosticators weekly. This year, 17 participants from prominent sports media outlets are competing. The contest standings can be tracked online, with updates and pick matrices shared via Twitter.

Weekly Summary of the Pick’em Competition: Unlike the previous year, where many participants had moderate success in week one, this weekend proved exceptionally challenging. Erik Tice of The Dink emerged as the top performer, correctly predicting LA’s group win, a feat achieved by only two participants (including Matty Pickles). Conversely, three pundits managed only two correct picks out of eleven, underscoring the unpredictability of the opening week.

The MLP circuit continues immediately with Week 2 in Columbus. The upcoming weekend also features a PPA Challengers event in Fort Collins, the 2026 Macao Open in China, and the launch of the 2026 Champions Series Pickleball league for senior athletes.

MLP-specific statistics cited in this report are sourced from PickleKey.com, a platform dedicated to compiling detailed MLP player data. PickleKey recently underwent a redesign, offering enhanced data analysis capabilities.

Erik Tice, a colleague from The Dink and General Manager for the California Black Bears, continues to maintain a public MLP data sheet that includes extensive information.

All tour-level match statistics referenced are provided by PickleWave. Picklewave.com is the premier source for professional pickleball data, offering match replays, highlights, statistics, and discussions, with a database exceeding 31,000 matches across all professional tours.

Business Style Takeaway: Major League Pickleball’s 2026 season launch signals a maturing professional sports league, emphasizing stability, a unified structure, and engaging fan-centric content. The strategic rule changes and performance analyses indicate a growing focus on competitive balance and data-driven insights, crucial for attracting investment and ensuring long-term commercial viability.

Details can be found on the website : www.forbes.com