Veteran Sharath Kamal and star female player Manika Batra were on Wednesday named in the India squad for the 27th Asian Table Tennis Championships, scheduled to be held in Astana, from October 7 to 13. Sharath, the 42-year-old who recently featured in his fifth and last Olympics, is the captain of the men’s team comprising Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, G Sathiyan and Manush Shah. Manika will lead the women’s team which also has Sreeja Akula, Ayhika Mukherjee, Diya Chital and Sutirtha Mukherjee.

“The selection process was rigorous, with the TTFI giving precedence to the world ranking, international experience, and performance at the national level as key criteria for the final squad,” said the TTFI in a statement.

The Indian team has been under the guidance of foreign expert Massimo Constantini, who has been working to fine-tune the players’ skills and strategies since his return to India in June.

“I am hopeful they will put their best foot forward in the Asthana championships,” Constantini said.

The squad, especially the women, had done well in the Paris Olympics, reaching the quarterfinals. The men’s team had lost to the mighty China in the round of 16. It was the first time that India qualified for team events at the Olympics.

As a crucial qualification event for the World Table Tennis Championships and the Asian Games, the Asian Championships hold significant importance for the Indian team.

Men’s Team: A. Sharath Kamal (captain), Manav Thakkar, Harmeet Desai, G. Sathiyan, Manush Shah; Reserve Players: SFR Snehit and Jeet Chandra.

Women’s Team: Sreeja Akula, Manika Batra (captain), Ayhika Mukherjee, Diya Chitale, Sutirtha Mukherjee; Reserve Players: Yashaswini Ghorpade and Poymantee Baisya.

Rising star Diya Chitale pulled off a massive upset against World No. 26 Manika Batra as Dabang Delhi TTC staged a late charge to upstage table toppers PBG Bengaluru Smashers 8-7 in a thrilling UTT 2024 tie that went right down to the wire at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. Diya outplayed Manika 3-0 (11-6, 11-10, 11-8) as Dabang Delhi TTC – who were seemingly down and out after PBG Bengaluru Smashers raced into a 7-1 lead – pulled off the unthinkable by clinching seven consecutive games.

The franchise-based league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). The league is airing on Sports18 Khel and streaming live on JioCinema in India and Facebook Live outside India.

Despite suffering their first loss of the season, PBG Bengaluru Smashers became the first team to enter the knockouts with 48 points after five ties. Dabang Delhi TTC continue at the second spot with 41 points.

PBG Bengaluru Smashers were off to a promising start when Alvaro Robles blanked youngster Yashansh Malik 3-0 (11-3, 11-10, 11-5) in the first men’s singles. Lily Zhang continued her unbeaten run this season, outclassing Orawan Paranang 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-7) in the first women’s singles. 

The American star has dropped just one game this season and Sunday’s result was her fourth 3-0 win on the trot.

However, Orawan and G Sathiyan sparked the turnaround for the Delhi-based franchise when they downed the star pair of Manika and Alvaro Robles 2-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-8) in the mixed doubles. Sathiyan went on to blank a fighting Jeet Chandra 3-0 (11-10, 11-6, 11-5) to raise visions of a comeback by Dabang Delhi TTC.

That set up a nail-biting finish with Diya Chitale taking on a formidable challenge against Manika in the second women’s singles. The promising youngster pulled off a giant slaying act as she comprehensively outplayed the experienced Team India star.

Earlier in the day, Puneri Paltan Table Tennis stormed back into contention for a place in the knockouts with a 9-6 win over debutants Jaipur Patriots in an exciting clash. The team from Pune are in the fourth spot with 28 points. Jaipur Patriots leapfrogged a rung to take the fifth spot with 25 points.

Ankur Bhattacharjee put Puneri Paltan Table Tennis off to a winning start by defeating Ronit Bhanja 2-1 (10-11, 11-10, 11-8) in the first men’s singles.

Suthasini Sawettabut brought Jaipur Patriots back to level terms with a 2-1 (8-11, 11-10, 11-7) verdict over the highly rated Ayhika Mukherjee. Puneri Paltan Table Tennis regained the lead immediately when Natalia Bajor and Anirban Ghosh got the better of Nithyashree Mani and Cho Seungmin 2-1 (11-10, 7-11,11-9) in the mixed doubles clash, and then got a two-point lead when Joao Monteiro registered his first win in the tournament by beating the dangerous Cho Seungmin 21- (8-11,11-10,11-7).

Natalia Bajor wrapped up the victory for Puneri Paltan Table Tennis with a 2-1 (11-8, 7-11, 11-6) win over a fighting Nithyashree Mani in the second women’s singles.

Eight-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 tennis player Andre Agassi is set to visit India in January next year to inaugurate the PWR DUPR Indian Tour and League, a major event that aims to popularise pickleball in the country. The PWR DUPR Indian Tour and League follows the recent introduction of a new rankings structure by Pickleball World Rankings (PWR), along with the launch of the PWR World Tour and PWR World Series.

In a video message to his Indian fans, Agassi said, “I’m excited to visit India and bring the excitement of pickleball to its fans. I look forward to the PWR DUPR Indian Tour & League and hope it will be a great success in the country.” Agassi has won four Australian Open titles, a French Open and Wimbledon each, and two US Open titles, as well as a gold medal in men’s singles at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Ahead of the main event in January, the PWR DUPR India Masters, including the “Battle of the League: Stage 1,” a PWR 700 event, will take place in New Delhi from October 24 to 27 this year.

The Battle of the Leagues is a unique team-based competition designed for amateur players, with event partners including Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR), Minor League Pickleball, Pickleball United, FansPlay, the Indian Pickleball Association, the Asian Pickleball Association, and the Global Pickleball Federation.

Winning teams in each category of the Battle of the Leagues will earn a spot in the DUPR Nationals in the USA, with travel and accommodation expenses covered by PWR. The tournament offers a total prize money of USD 50,000.

The launch of the PWR, the PWR World Series (PWS), and the PWR World Tour was recently held in Dubai, with the GCC region announced as the host for the inaugural PWR World Series in February 2025.

All PWR DUPR events are sanctioned by the Indian Pickleball Association, the Asian Pickleball Association, and the Global Pickleball Federation.

Dabang Delhi TTC captain Sathiyan Gnanasekaran put on a dazzling show against Athlead Goa Challengers’ Mihai Bobocica at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Wednesday, setting the stage for his team’s first win of UTT 2024. In the battle of the Olympians, Bobocica struck first, taking Game 1 11-8 via a 23-shot rally, the longest of the season so far. However, Sathiyan retaliated with an inspired comeback and took games two and three to claim the match. 

The franchise-based league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). 

In the tie’s first women’s singles, Dabang Delhi TTC’s Orawan Paranang scripted history by becoming the first paddler to defeat Yangzi Liu in UTT. Paranang stunned her opponent with an 11-7 win in Game 1, before taking Game 2 and, consequently, the match on a Golden Point. Liu claimed Game 3 to reduce the deficit of her defeat. 

In the mixed doubles that followed, Paranang got the better of Liu again, this time alongside her partner Sathiyan. The Dabang Delhi TTC pair together beat Liu and Harmeet Desai, two games to one. 

Later, in the second men’s singles, Athlead Goa Challengers captain Harmeet bounced back from a game down to beat Andreas Levenko 2-1. The UTT 2023 winner sustained the Austrian’s aggressive forehand attacks, bounced back in style, and registered his first match win of this season. 

Diya Chitale, who recorded her first win in Dabang Delhi TTC’s previous tie, made it two in a row for herself with her decisive win over Athlead Goa Challengers’ Yashaswini Ghorpade. Her triumph, as it happened, led the team from Delhi over the line. 

For their role in Dabang Delhi TTC’s win, Sathiyan and Paranang claimed the Indian and the Foreign Player of the Tie honours, respectively. Sathiyan also took home the DafaNews Shot of the Tie gong, while Bobocica, unsurprisingly, won the ACT Fastest Rally of the Tie. 

Thursday’s sole tie will see PBG Bengaluru Smashers take on Jaipur Patriots at 19:30, with the former looking to prolong their unbeaten run to three ties in UTT 2024. 

UTT 2024 is being broadcast live on Sports18 Khel and streamed online on JioCinema (India) and Facebook Live (Outside India). Tickets are available online on BookMyShow and offline at the box office near Gate no. 1 of the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.

PBG Bengaluru Smashers will be looking to extend their unbeaten run and take a step closer to the playoffs when they face Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 debutants Jaipur Patriots at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Thursday. The team from Bengaluru has won both its ties so far and is second in the table, behind leaders Ahmedabad SG Pipers, who have played a tie more. Jaipur Patriots, on the other hand, are fourth with a loss and a win in their bag. 

The franchise-based league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). All the thrilling ties are being aired on Sports18 Khel on TV and streaming live on JioCinema in India and Facebook Live outside India. Tickets are available online through BookMyShow and offline at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium box office near Gate no. 1. 

PBG Bengaluru Smashers have been dominant, so far, in UTT 2024; they have won both their ties, eight of the ten matches contested, and 21 of the 30 games they have played. Led by captain Alvaro Robles, the team from Bengaluru is looking to break into the playoffs for the first time, after narrowly missing out on a spot in their debut season last year. 

Robles aside, PBG Bengaluru Smashers are likely to feature star paddler Manika Batra, who claimed an impressive win over giant-slayer Ayhika Mukherjee in the previous tie, USA ace Lily Zhang, and the assertive Jeet Chandra. 

On the opposing side, Jaipur Patriots head into the tie on the back of a win against U Mumba TT. The debutants hold a balanced record, having won one tie out of two, five matches out of 10, and 15 games out of 30 contested. 

Jaipur Patriots’ clash with PBG Bengaluru Smashers is likely to pit South Korean paddler Cho Seung-min, who has impressed with his displays so far, against Robles in a highlight clash. Suthasini Sawettabut, Snehit SFR, and Nithyashree Mani have also laid down strong statements; the trio will look to build upon that in tie 3. 

Squads

PBG Bengaluru Smashers: Manika Batra, Alvaro Robles (Spain), Lily Zhang (USA), Jeet Chandra, Taneesha Kotecha, Amalraj Anthony

Jaipur Patriots: Cho Seungmin (South Korea), Suthasini Sawettabut (Thailand), Snehit SFR, Ronit Bhanja, Moumita Dutta, Nithyashree Mani

Ahmedabad SG Pipers’ Manush Shah and Bernadette Szocs in action© UTT

Both PBG Bengaluru Smashers and Puneri Paltan Table Tennis will look to continue their winning ways when they meet in Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Monday. The teams won their first ties against Chennai Lions and Ahmedabad SG Pipers, courtesy of giant-killing efforts by Jeet Chandra and Ayhika Mukherjee. The franchise-based league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). 

All the thrilling ties are being aired on Sports18 Khel on TV and streaming live on JioCinema in India and Facebook Live outside India. Tickets are available online through BookMyShow and offline at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium box office near Gate no. 1.

Jeet and PBG Bengaluru Smashers laid down a strong statement in their opening tie against hosts Chennai Lions, winning by a margin of 11-4. En route to the thumping win, Jeet defeated India’s top-ranked male paddler, Achanta Sharath Kamal, 3-0, adding to his team’s comprehensive victory.

Captain Alvaro Robles, USA ace Lily Zhang, and experienced Indian paddler Anthony Amalraj – who only participated in the mixed doubles – also stood out for their displays for PBG Bengaluru Smashers, who will be aiming to build on the strong showing in their opening tie when they face Puneri Paltan Table Tennis.

“It’s a great feeling, especially beating him (Sharath) in Chennai,” Jeet said. “We’re looking forward; we’re just getting started. We’re preparing for the upcoming matches.”

While they would later relinquish that milestone to the team from Bengaluru, Puneri Paltan Table Tennis had earlier claimed the season’s biggest win in their 10-5 victory against debutants Ahmedabad SG Pipers. Giant-killing, again, was the theme of the tie, especially as Ayhika beat the league’s highest-ranked player, Bernadette Szocs, 3-0. Seventeen-year-old Ankur Bhattacharjee, too, had impressed in his sweeping win over French paddler Lilian Bardet.

“I was excited to play with her (Szocs); I was really happy because I have always loved playing against higher-ranked players,” said Ayhika. “I prepared myself. I wasn’t thinking about winning or losing; I was only thinking about playing my best game. And yeah, it turned out well!”

Another big win for either side could help them bring closer to the first target: crossing into the playoffs.

The Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) franchises put their thinking caps on and found a way to pick the best possible squads for UTT 2024 at the Player Draft on Wednesday. The upcoming season of the league is scheduled to be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai from August 22 to September 7 and will feature eight teams for the first time and a total of 48 players, including 16 foreigners. Newcomers Jaipur Patriots, who got the first pick in Round 1, went for in-form India star and current World No. 25 Sreeja Akula, who recently became the first Indian to clinch a WTT Contender singles title.

Puneri Paltan Table Tennis, who chose not to retain a player, picked Ayhika Mukherjee to kick off proceedings. Ahmedabad SG Pipers, the other franchise to make their UTT debut, went for Manush Shah as their first choice and then bagged the services of women’s World No.10 Bernadette Szocs of Romania in the second round.

The franchise-based league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). “Today’s Player Draft is a testimony to the fact that some of the best players in the world now want to come and play in the UTT. We are very excited for UTT 2024. This is the first time we have eight teams, and we want to make this even bigger and better. We wish all the teams the best of luck for the upcoming season,” said UTT promoters Vita Dani and Niraj Bajaj.

A total of 48 players, including 16 foreigners, will be in action as teams finalised their six-member squads after the Player Draft.

“More or less, what we had discussed and strategised we got what we wanted. We wanted Sreeja and we got her in the first pick. We have a strong squad and we are confident that we can go all the way,” said Jaipur Patriots COO Imran Shaikh.

“SG Sports prides itself in getting a balanced team with excellent support staff, and we hope to create an environment of camaraderie and togetherness in the team. We’ve enjoyed success in other leagues and other sports with this same formula, so just looking to continue the same thing,” said Kartikeya Rao of Ahmedabad SG Pipers.

U Mumba TT went with the tried and tested formula by once again picking Nigerian star paddler and World No.19 Aruna Quadri. They also picked Asian Games bronze medallist Sutirtha Mukherjee. “Really glad about the way the draft went for us at U Mumba. There are no gaping holes in our squad. We were a bit worried about certain areas before the draft, but things worked out quite well and overall, I am very happy with the balance we have got,” said U Mumba CEO Suhail Chandhok.

PBG Bengaluru Smashers will have Alvaro Robles of Spain and Lily Zhang of the USA to support their retained star, Manika Batra.

“I am extremely happy with the squad we have got. Having retained Manika Batra, we have managed to pick the experienced duo of Alvaro Robles and Lily Zhang as foreign internationals, with Anthony Amalraj and Jeet Chandra as the perfect support cast for Indian men’s paddlers. Talented young paddler Taneesha Kotecha also comes as a great addition, and we are confident that this team will present a strong challenge,” said PBG Bengaluru Smashers owner Punit Balan.

Defending champions Goa Challengers, who had retained India star Harmeet Desai ahead of the draft, have a completely new look. They picked Yangzi Liu of Australia alongside young Indian paddlers Yashaswini Ghorpade and Sayali Wani. Mihai Bobocica of Italy, who had competed in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, will be their foreign men’s paddler.

“The drafting process is always very exciting, although we were a tad unlucky with pick number five during the drafting process. We had the same pick last year and we won the trophy. Hoping to replicate the same this year,” commented Vivek Bhargava, the owner of Goa Challengers.

Last edition’s runners-up Chennai Lions also went for a fresh look, with Japan’s Sakura Mori, Frenchman Jules Rolland, and local stars Poymantee Baisya, Mouma Das, and Abhinandh P.B. joining Indian table tennis legend Achanta Sharath Kamal, who was retained by the team. “We have a very mature team, some youngsters as well, but generally a very mature team. I’m quite happy with the picks that we’ve got considering the spot,” said G.S Ravi, owner of Chennai Lions.

Dabang Delhi will rely on Sathiyan G. along with Andreas Levenko of Austria. They also added young Indian paddlers Diya Chitale, Lakshita Narang, and Yashansh Malik to their squad.

“The draft was good for us. We anticipated we had an auction strategy in place, and for us, it has worked out well. The majority of the players that we had anticipated as part of the strategy we’ve got there,” said Durganath Wagle, CEO, Dabang Delhi TTC.

Squads:

Ahmedabad SG Pipers: Manush Shah, Bernadette Szocs (Romania), Lilian Bardet (France), Reeth Tennison, Pritha Vartikar, Jash Modi

Chennai Lions: Achanta Sharath Kamal, Sakura Mori (Japan), Jules Rolland (France), Poymantee Baisya, Mouma Das, Abhinandh PB

Dabang Delhi TTC: Sathiyan G, Orawan Paranang (Thailand), Diya Chitale, Andreas Levenko (Austria), Yashansh Malik, Lakshita Narang

Goa Challengers: Harmeet Desai, Yangzi Liu (Australia), Yashaswini Ghorpade, Sudhanshu Grover, Sayali Wani, Mihai Bobocica (Italy)

Jaipur Patriots: Sreeja Akula, Cho Seungmin (South Korea), Suthasini Sawettabut (Thailand), Snehit SFR, Ronit Bhanja, Moumita Dutta

PBG Bengaluru Smashers: Manika Batra, Alvaro Robles (Spain), Lily Zhang (USA), Jeet Chandra, Taneesha Kotecha, Amalraj Anthony

Puneri Paltan Table Tennis: Ayhika Mukherjee, Nina Mittelham (Germany), Joao Monteiro (Portugal), Ankur Bhattacharjee, Anirban Ghosh, Yashini Sivashankar

U Mumba TT: Manav Thakkar, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Aruna Quadri (Nigeria), Akash Pal, Kavyasree Baskar, Maria Xiao (Spain)

File image of Sharath Kamal© AFP

Veteran Sharath Kamal and world no. 24 Manika Batra will lead the Indian men’s and women’s squads respectively at the Paris Games, where the country will make its Olympic debut in team events. The senior selection committee of the Table Tennis Federation of India on Thursday picked a six-member squad (three in each section) as per the Olympics norms, besides naming the individuals who would compete in the singles events. Sharath, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar will form the three-member men’s team, while Manika, Sreeja Akula and Archana Kamath will be squad members in the women’s category.

The “Alternate Player” in each section would be G. Sathiyan and Ayhika Mukherjee.

In the men’s singles, Sharath and Harmeet will compete and it will be Manika and Sreeja in the women’s event.

The decision was taken based on the latest world rankings.

It will be the fifth and final Olympic appearance for 41-year-old Sharath, who made his Games debut back in 2004.

Since the selection of the squads and the individuals were as per the already pronounced TTFI criteria, three players “got selected themselves” because of their consistent performances over time and world rankings.

However, there was a debate over the third player for the women’s squad. After Manika and Sreeja Akula walked in on the back of their higher world rankings (top 50), Archana Kamath (103) made it to the team as the third player.

The Bengaluru paddler edged out Ayhika Mukherjee (133) on several counts, including her ranking.

As for the men, Sharath picked himself as the top-ranked Indian at No. 40, while Harmeet (No. 63) and Manav (No. 62) were separated by one slot in WR.

Though both made it to the team composition, National champion Harmeet got the selectors’ nod based on his international (better win-loss proportion to his participation) and national performances.

Incidentally, Massimo Costantini’s presence as a special invitee at the meeting also added teeth as the foreign expert’s inputs proved handy in the selection of the squads.

Costantini will take charge of the Indian team for a third time as early as next week. He arrived in India earlier this week.

Alternate players Sathiyan and Ayhika will travel with the team to Paris but will not stay in the official Games Village. Their services would be needed in case of an injury.

The teams: Men: A. Sharath Kamal, Harmeet Desai, and Manav Thakkar; Alternate Player: G. Sathiyan.

Women: Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, and Archana Kamath; Alternate Player: Ayhika Mukherjee. PTI BS TAP