Pickleball Rules & Scoring

Match Format at a Glance

1. 1
   Each match consists of three doubles lines: D1, D2 and D3. Every line is a separate doubles match.
2. 2
   Teams win the overall match by taking the majority of lines (2 out of 3).
3. 3
   Lineups lock before the match starts. Captains pick from available roster players.Captain tools
4. 4
   Only players marked available for that week are eligible for selection.
5. 5
   Substitutes are allowed, but their DUPR rating can't exceed the team's strongest regular by more than the league tolerance.

1. 1
   Each doubles line plays a best-of-three-games match.
2. 2
   Games are scored to 11 points, win by 2. There is no upper cap — a game can go 15-13, 17-15, etc.
3. 3
   The third game is only played if the teams split the first two games.
4. 4
   Only the serving side can score a point. If the receiving side wins the rally, they earn the right to serve (a side-out), but no point.
5. 5
   Enter the final score of each game into the City Cup score sheet. The app validates that scores are valid game scores.

1. 1
   The player on the right side of their team (S) serves diagonally into the opponent's right-side court.
2. 2
   If the serving team wins the rally, they score a point and the server switches to the left side. Their partner stays in place.
3. 3
   Lose a rally? That's a side-out — the other team serves, starting with their right-side player.
4. 4
   At the start of a game only, one player serves (not both). After that, every side-out gives the receiving team two serves — one per player.

1. 1
   The serve must be hit underhand, below the waist, and diagonally into the opposite service court.
2. 2
   The Two-Bounce Rule: the receiving team must let the serve bounce before returning it, and the serving team must let that return bounce before playing it. After those two bounces, volleys are allowed.
3. 3
   The Kitchen (Non-Volley Zone) is the 7-foot area on both sides of the net. You may not volley a ball while standing in the kitchen or while any part of you is touching the kitchen line.
4. 4
   You may enter the kitchen to play a ball that has bounced, but you must exit before volleying the next shot.
5. 5
   A ball that lands on any line is considered in, except on the non-volley-zone line during a serve — that is a fault.
6. 6
   In doubles, both players on a team serve before a side-out occurs, except at the start of a game when only one player serves.

1. 1
   City Cup uses the DUPR rating scale (2.0 to 8.0) for pickleball leagues.
2. 2
   Your self-rated DUPR helps captains build fair lineups and determines substitute eligibility.
3. 3
   Set your rating from your Dashboard. You can update it at any time, but large jumps may be reviewed by the league admin.Dashboard
4. 4
   If you don't have a DUPR yet, estimate based on your playing level: 2.0–3.0 beginner, 3.5–4.0 intermediate, 4.5+ advanced.

1. 1
   Volleying from the kitchen (non-volley zone) is a fault.
2. 2
   Hitting the ball out of bounds or into the net is a fault.
3. 3
   Stepping on or over the baseline during a serve is a foot fault.
4. 4
   The ball may only bounce once on each side before it must be returned.
5. 5
   If the ball hits a player on their own side of the net, that side loses the point (a 'hinder' exception applies only on the follow-through of a swing).

1. 1
   Balance your strongest pairs across D1, D2 and D3 — don't stack one line and weaken the others.
2. 2
   Check DUPR ratings before locking. Close ratings across a line make for competitive, fun matches.
3. 3
   Communicate early with players who haven't set availability. The lineup deadline comes fast.
4. 4
   If you need a sub, confirm their DUPR is within the allowed tolerance before adding them.