Four seasons have gone by in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) beginning 2017 with the league not taking place due to different reasons in 2020, ‘21 & ‘22. And, all the four years have witnessed different champions.
In UTT’s fifth edition, to be held at the Nehru Indoor Stadium here from August 22 to September 7, there will be eight teams, two more than the last edition. The new teams are Ahmedabad SG Pipers and Jaipur Patriots.
Without doubt, there are no clear favourites. The league promises intense competition and possibly a new champion. Goa Challengers, the defending champion, and Dabang Delhi TTC, 2018 winner and 2019 runner-up, however, will be more than eager to do what no team has done before in UTT: win the title twice.
Barring Sreeja Akula (out of the event due to stress facture) and Archana Kamath, all the top-ranked Indians including Sharath Kamal (playing for Chennai Lions), G. Sathiyan (Dabang) and Manika Batra (Bengaluru Smashers) will be taking part.
Ahmedabad’s Bernadette Szocs, the Romanian women’s world No. 13, and U Mumba TT’s Quadri Aruna, the men’s world No. 20 from Nigeria, will be the highest ranked players in the league.
Just like what the Indian Premier League has done for Indian cricketers, UTT has done its bit for Indian paddlers. Locking horns with top-notch foreign players and seeing them from close quarters during training sessions has only improved their match-awareness.
“Personally, it has helped me. The players come to UTT from different countries, and we play against them, we play with them,” said three-time Olympian Manika.
The format is the same as last time. Each team will play five matches (women’s & men’s singles, mixed doubles and the reverse singles) in a tie. Each match will comprise three games. The winning team in a tie will be decided by the number of total games won. The team that wins eight or more games out of the 15 will be adjudged the winner.
Like the previous edition that saw Goa pip Chennai 8-7 in the final, there could be an engrossing final and gripping league overall this time too.
Published - August 21, 2024 06:16 pm IST
