CHENNAI: Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), India’s premier table tennis league, is gearing up for an exciting new season in Chennai from August 22 to September 7 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.
The till now six-team franchise-based league, promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), will be an eight-team league from the 2024 season on.
“The introduction of additional teams will infuse a heightened level of competition, strategically coinciding with the post-Paris Games period to capitalize on the prevailing Olympic fervour nationwide. Moreover, the decision to host the league in Chennai pays tribute to the city’s esteemed sporting heritage, which has produced numerous legendary paddlers, but also reinforces our commitment to honouring its illustrious legacy,” expressed Bajaj.
The escalating popularity of table tennis, bolstered by notable Indian achievements, has catalysed the league’s expansion into new territories. Embracing this momentum, UTT Wednesday announced the inclusion of two new franchises: the Ahmedabad SG Pipers and the Jaipur Patriots. This marks an exhilarating new phase commencing with the 2024 edition of the league.
“The core mission behind UTT’s inception was to enhance the stature of table tennis in India, providing our players with a platform to compete against the world’s best and propel Indian table tennis to unprecedented heights. Recent historic victories by our Indian players against Chinese opponents and the National men’s and women’s teams qualifying for the Olympics through the world team rankings underscore this mission,” emphasized Dani, chairperson of UTT.
Goa Challengers secured victory over former champions, Chennai Lions, in the preceding year, thus entering the league as defending champions for UTT 2024. Joining them are Dabang Delhi TTC, U Mumba TT, Puneri Paltan, Bengaluru Smashers and the two new franchisees. Each team will maintain a roster of six players, including two foreign players, as they all contend for the title this season.
The format has undergone a slight alteration with the inclusion of eight teams, that will now be divided into two groups of four teams each. Each franchisee will continue to compete in five ties during the league stage, facing all other teams within their respective group once, alongside two randomly selected teams from the opposing group, determined through a draw.
