League Format & Policies | Chicago Pickleball League

DUPR Caps

Major League

22.300

Minor League

20.300

Schedule

Week 1: Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026
Week 2: Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026
Week 3: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026
Playoffs: Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026

League Format

Same for Major League and Minor League.

The league season consists of an 8-team round robin, with every team playing each of the other 7 teams once. Each team match consists of 4 games: Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles, and 2 Mixed Doubles. If the match is tied 2–2 after those 4 games, a singles tiebreaker is used to decide the match.

With 7 matches throughout the season, each team plays 2 matches in 2 of the regular-season weeks and 3 matches in one of the weeks. All matches for each team are played consecutively, so wait times between matches are relatively short. See the example schedule below for how each regular-season week will look.

Playoff Qualification

At the end of the regular season, the top 4 teams from each league advance to the playoffs. The top 4 are decided based on:

Overall record
Head-to-head record
Game differential (games won – games lost)
Point differential (points won – points lost)

Scoring

In all regular-season doubles games, games are played to 11, win by 2. Switch sides at 6.

In the event of a singles tiebreaker, the game is played to 21, rally scoring. All 4 players play in the singles tiebreaker, with teammates rotating out every 4 points. Switch sides at 11.

In the playoffs (semifinals and finals), all doubles games are played to 15, win by 2. Switch sides at 8. The singles-tiebreaker scoring format stays the same as the regular season.

Coin Toss

Before each match, a coin toss decides several aspects of the match. The randomly assigned "Home Team" selects heads or tails. The winner of the coin toss has 4 options to choose from:

React to Mixed Line-Ups — if you select this option, the other team is able to react to the singles-tiebreaker line-up, if applicable.
Choose to Receive or Serve
Choose Starting Side — applies to all doubles games and the singles tiebreaker, if applicable.
Choose Order of Events — Women's or Men's Doubles first.

After the coin-toss winner makes a selection, the other team decides next from one of the remaining options. Teams alternate making selections from these 4 options until all 4 have been decided.

Team Rosters & Sub Policies

Teams may fill rosters with players of any DUPR rating and from any location. The only restriction is that Major League teams must have a total team DUPR of 22.300 or lower, and Minor League teams must be 20.300 or lower.

To promote fairness, players are required to play in at least 2 of the 3 regular-season weeks in order to be playoff eligible. Subs are allowed for all regular-season weeks. The only restriction for subs during the regular season is that their DUPR at that time must not push the team DUPR over the stated limit.

Playoff Sub Exceptions

While players are required to play 2 regular-season weeks to be playoff eligible, we understand there are extenuating circumstances (illness, injury, etc.). In this case, an exception can be made. However, playoff subs must meet two additional criteria:

The sub's DUPR must be equal to or lower than the DUPR of the player he/she is replacing.
The sub must be a local player residing in one of the following counties: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Will, Lake, McHenry.

The goal is not to punish any team that runs into this situation, but rather to ensure teams don't gain an unfair advantage by using a sub.

Prize Money

This is the guaranteed prize-money payout structure as of now. Prize money will go up if we can secure sponsorships.

Major League

$4,000

WINNER TAKES ALL

Minor League

$2,500

WINNER TAKES ALL

Additional Info

Scores will be reported to DUPR.
Ball: Franklin X-40.

Example Schedule

Week 1
Time / Court #	1	2	3	4	5	6
12pm	Major 1v2	Major 3v4	Major 5v6	Major 7v8	X	X
2pm	Major 1v3	Major 2v4	Major 5v7	Major 6v8	X	X
4pm	Minor 1v2	Minor 3v4	Minor 5v6	Minor 7v8	X	X
6pm	Minor 1v3	Minor 2v4	Minor 5v7	Minor 6v8	X	X

Week 2
Time / Court #	1	2	3	4	5	6
12pm	Minor 1v4	Minor 2v3	Minor 5v8	Minor 6v7	X	X
2pm	Minor 1v8	Minor 2v7	Minor 3v6	Minor 4v5	Major 1v7	Major 2v8
4pm	Major 1v4	Major 2v3	Major 5v8	Major 6v7	Minor 1v7	Minor 2v8
6pm	Major 1v8	Major 2v7	Major 3v6	Major 4v5	X	X

Week 3
Time / Court #	1	2	3	4	5	6
12pm	Major 1v5	Major 2v6	Major 3v7	Major 4v8	X	X
2pm	Major 1v6	Major 2v5	Major 3v8	Major 4v7	Minor 3v5	Minor 4v6
4pm	Minor 1v5	Minor 2v6	Minor 3v7	Minor 4v8	Major 3v5	Major 4v6
6pm	Minor 1v6	Minor 2v5	Minor 3v8	Minor 4v7	X	X

Major League matches Minor League matches

All teams play 2 matches in Week 1.
Teams 1, 2, 7, 8 play 3 matches in Week 2.
Teams 3, 4, 5, 6 play 3 matches in Week 3.
On the week a team plays 3 matches, they still play all matches consecutively — no 2-hour gap between matches.

Misc

TBD — referees for matches during the round robin.
Referees will be utilized in the playoffs.
Super-majority to make any changes or solve disputes moving forward: 6 of 8 captains must agree.

League Governance & Rule Changes

To ensure fairness and eliminate any perception of bias, league founders do not have unilateral authority to change league rules during the season. Any proposed rule change or exception must be approved by a 6-of-8 captain supermajority within the affected league (Major or Minor).

This approach gives the players ownership of the league while ensuring that any changes reflect the consensus of the teams, not the preferences of league leadership.