Top Indian players will be back in action in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) league, scheduled to be held at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune from July 13-30. (More Sports News)
The tournament, which is set to return after a three-year break, will see Bengaluru Smashers become the new entrants in the franchise-based league, promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani.
"We are delighted to announce the return of Ultimate Table Tennis. COVID put the league to a tough halt. But after three years, our efforts to popularise and grow the sport in India will continue," UTT chairperson Dani said of the tournament, being held under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) since its inception in 2017.
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Besides Bengaluru Smashers, the other teams in the fray are U Mumba TT, Puneri Paltan Table Tennis, Goa Challengers, Dabang Delhi TTC and RPSG Mavericks Kolkata.
Chennai Lions, who won the 2019 edition, are not part of this edition.
The league has unearthed talented players such as Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Manav Thakkar, Sutirtha Mukherjee and Manika Batra.
TTFI said it is happy to support and encourage the league.
"UTT has helped put India on the world map in regards to hosting a world-class event in the country and attracting the finest talent from the world," TTFI president Meghna Ahlawat and secretary-general Kamlesh Mehta said in a joint statement.
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The league was last played in Delhi in 2019 where Chennai Lions, led by Sharath Kamal, won the third edition beating Sathiyan's Dabang Delhi TTC in the final.
The second edition was won by Dabang Delhi TTC, led by Manika Batra and Sathiyan, while Falcons TTC won the first edition.
