MiLP v3: A Year In, Here's How the Format Works

Three-player teams, three games to 21, no DreamBreaker. A year into MiLP v3, here's how the format actually plays.

We launched v3 at The Dink Minor League Pickleball a little over a year ago. We wrote it up, called it MiLP v3, and let it loose on the circuit. 

And it took off. Breaking all expectations, nine months later the 2025 National Championship was a sell-out tournament, with all v3 divisions sold out, indicating that v3 was here to stay.

The three-player team format created a unique team experience that extends on MiLP’s rally scoring games with three-player gendered teams competing in doubles team matchups – except there's no DreamBreaker.

A season-plus later, and we still get the question all the time: wait, what's v3 again?

Reasonable. New rules and formats show up in this sport faster than anyone can keep track of them. So, consider this the refresher on how it works.

How The Dink MiLP v3 Works

For anyone who's been nodding along without a clue...

• v3 Format: Round-robin team competition with guaranteed matches. Gendered teams of 3 players are broken into divisions (based on their combined DUPR rating) to compete against each other in three 21-point games. Top teams will face off in a bracket playoff.
• v3 Match Format: 3 games constitute a match. An example of the lineup is as follows:

Player 1 and Player 2 from each team play the first game. Player 2 and Player 3 play the second game. Player 1 and Player 3 play the third game.

Players pick their lineups before the match starts.

The Minor League Pickleball Guarantee:

• Predictable playing times and reduced waiting periods between matches
• Guaranteed 6 games played with at least 3 matchups each – during Round Robin, all 3 games are played in a matchup, regardless of outcome. During bracket playoffs, if a team wins the first 2 games, the matchup is complete.
• A fair, level-based competitive experience, whatever your level of play.

Teams Are Made Up of Three Players: Either three females or three males compete in their own gender-based divisions. Three players, one roster. That's the whole thing.

Three games to 21. Each matchup is three games, with players competing in two of those games. No DreamBreaker.

You play with everyone. You play two games and sit one, with a different teammate beside you each time you're on the court.

It keeps moving. Matches are quick,  meaning less downtime, more pickleball.

Where You Fit

v3 runs in gendered DUPR divisions – 9, 11, 13, and 15 – for both men and women. Divisions are broken into both open age and age 50+.

Teams are grouped by combined DUPR rating, so you're playing teams in your range. It’s all level-based, so it’s the same as the rest of MiLP.

Why It Stuck

The pitch a year ago was simple: a tighter, faster team format that still rewards strategy.

For new teams, it's an easy way in. Three players, one afternoon, done.

For veterans, it's a different puzzle, since smaller rosters mean every matchup carries more weight.

For captains, it's a roster-building exercise: stacking three players whose games actually fit together.

With only three players, everyone has to deliver. Each one partners with the other two across the match, so there's no hiding a weak link or leaning on a single strong pairing.

And since teams are single-gender, the matchups stay direct, there’s no mixed-doubles juggling. It comes down to your three against their three.

It Counts Toward Championships

To be clear, v3 isn't a side bracket – it's part of the MiLP ecosystem, and a real path to the biggest amateur stage in the sport.

Play well during the season and your v3 team can earn a spot in the dedicated MiLP v3 Championships – its own event during the MiLP Championships week, across DUPR divisions.

Same intensity, tighter rosters.

The USA v3 Leaderboard

There's a national leaderboard now, too. MiLP tracks the top of the v3 format across the country, so a strong season doesn't just bank wins – it puts you on the board.

As the season goes, you can keep track of who's climbing, who's holding the top spots, who's worth watching heading into the bigger events. Worth a look to see where you stand, or where you're chasing.

Find a Game

MiLP v3 events are running all season. Head to dupr.com/minorleague and look for a v3 format near you.

And if you've read this far and still aren't sure it's worth it… go play one. That usually settles it.