Picture: Malini Agarwal presenting the prize to winner Anoushka Mehta, the score on the Marshal app, other partipants watching the finals.
Mumbai, October 4, 2026: Anoushka Mehta emerged victorious at Malini’s Mahjong Tournament, held at 1 BAM in Khar, Mumbai, following a nail-biting finish at the final table. The tournament brought together 48 enthusiasts of Taiwanese-style Mahjong, with fierce competition throughout the day and celebrity participant Mandira Bedi among those taking part.
Organised under the banner of Malini Agarwal, popularly known as MissMalini, the tournament combined strategic gameplay, high-stakes table battles and a growing community of Mahjong enthusiasts. The closely contested finale culminated in Mehta securing the title with an impressive 151 points.
A Three-Round Battle of Strategy and Skill
The tournament followed a three-round knockout-style format designed to reward both consistency and high-scoring play. In the opening round, 12 table winners advanced to the second round, where the competition intensified. The winners of the second-round tables progressed to the final, joined by the highest-scoring runner-up from those tables, completing the four-player final lineup.
The final table delivered a gripping finish, with every decision carrying the potential to change the leaderboard. Anoushka Mehta ultimately held her nerve to finish on top, capping a competitive day of Taiwanese Mahjong.
Technology Takes Centre Stage in Scoring
One of the tournament’s most notable features was its use of Marshal, the proprietary Mahjong scoring application developed by Planet Mahjong, to calculate scores automatically. By moving scoring away from manual calculations, the technology helped streamline the tournament experience and allowed players to focus on strategy and competition.
Planet Mahjong is building a digital ecosystem around the game, with online play and resources covering variants including Traditional Mahjong, Taiwanese Mahjong and Japanese Riichi. The platform has already seen over 2000+ unique registrations.
Malini Agarwal: From OG Influencer to OG Community Builder
The tournament’s host, Malini Agarwal, popularly known as MissMalini, has been a prominent figure in India’s digital media and lifestyle landscape. She pioneered celebrity and lifestyle blogging in India with the launch of MissMalini.com in 2008, subsequently expanding into media, entrepreneurship and community-led initiatives.
Her Mahjong gatherings reflect a similar emphasis on community building, bringing people together through shared interests while combining social interaction with structured competition. With 48 participants competing for the title and the final decided by a strong 151-point performance, Malini’s Mahjong Tournament offered a compelling snapshot of a pastime evolving into a more organised and community driven activity in Mumbai. As Mahjong continues to find new enthusiasts in India, tournaments that bring together social interaction, competitive play and digital tools could play an important role in shaping the game’s growing presence.
Mahjong Cartel will continue to follow the tournaments, communities and personalities shaping the growth of Mahjong in India.
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