Holders Falcons TTC to take on Mah United in UTT opener
India’s 2018 Commonwealth Games heroes and top paddlers from around the world will be showcasing their skills in the second edition of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) that gets underway in Pune from June 14.
Defending champions Falcons TTC will take on Maharashtra United in the season opener.
UTT will see Indian stars Manika Batra, Mouma Das, Madhurika Patkar Sharath Kamal, Anthony Amalraj, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Harmeet Desai, Sanil Shetty, Pooja Sahasrabudhe and Sutirtha Mukherjee - compete after their historic show in the Gold Coast Games in April, where they bagged a record eight medals (three gold, two silver and three bronze).
Frenchman Simon Gauzy (World No. 12) and Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kem (World No. 13) are among the topranked foreign players in the glitzy league featuring six teams - Empowerji Challengers, Dabang Smashers T.T.C, Falcons TTC, Maharashtra United, RP-SG Mavericks and Warriors T.T.C.
Players from 19 different nationalities will be competing in the league and amongst them are 24 Olympians, 19 National champions and 17 No. 1 ranked players of their respective countries.
A hefty prize of Rs.3 crore is up for grabs as the teams battle for top honours over 18 days of intense competition.
During the league phase spread over 15 days, each team will play the other once with six ties each in Pune and Delhi. Kolkata will play host to three league ties besides the semifinals and the grand finale on July 1.
The proceedings at Kolkata’s Netaji Indoor Stadium begin with the Empowerji Challengers facing Dabang Smashers TTC. The penultimate day of the league will see Maharashtra United taking on Warriors T.T.C while RP-SG Mavericks meet Falcons TTC on June 28.
After the league stage, the first and fourth-placed teams will play the first semi-final on June 29 while the second and third-placed teams play the second semifinal the next day. The final will be on July 1. The winners will be richer by Rs. 1 crore while the runners-up will bag Rs. 75 lakh. Both losing semi-finalists will get Rs.50 lakh each.