India’s 2018 Commonwealth Games heroes and top paddlers from around the world will be showcasing their skills in the second edition of the Ultimate Table Tennis league from June 14.
Indian stars Manika Batra, Mouma Das, Madhurika Patkar, A Sharath Kamal, Anthony Amalraj, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Harmeet Desai, Sanil Shetty, Pooja Sahasrabudhe and Sutirtha Mukherjee will all be competing in the second season, which lasts for two-and-a-half weeks.
Frenchman Simon Gauzy (world No 12) and Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kem (world No 13) are among the top-ranked foreign players who will be competing. Players from 19 different nationalities will be participating in the league and amongst them are 24 Olympians, 19 national champions and 17 No 1-ranked players of their respective countries.
Like the inaugural season, there are six franchises: Empowerji Challengers, Dabang Smashers TTC, Falcons TTC, Maharashtra United, RP-SG Mavericks and Warriors TTC. During the league phase, spread over 15 days, all six teams will play each other once. Pune, Delhi and Kolkata have been picked as the venues for this season. Kolkata will host the semi-finals, and the final on July 1.
Maharashtra United, whose roster boasts the likes of Anthony Amalraj, along with Swede Kristian Karlsson (world No 18) and Romanian Elizabeta Samara (world No 19), face a stiff challenge first up. They will take on defending champions Falcons TTC, who are spearheaded by Sanil Shetty and another top Swede in Matilda Ekholm (world No 30) on the inaugural day at the Balewadi Sports Complex, Pune.
High-voltage action is on the cards on the second day when Empowerji Challengers, who possess top-ranked players in Gauzy, Manav Thakkar (world Junior No 2) and Hong Kong’s Lee Ho Ching (world No 20), clash with an equally quality side RP-SG Mavericks, who have world No 20 Mattias Karlsson, Doo Hoi Kem and Mouma Das in their ranks.
CWG double gold medallist Manika Batra will step up to the table on the third day when her team Dabang Smashers TTC, which includes Sakura Mori (world No 28) and G Sathiyan, lines up against Warriors TTC (formerly Yoddhas) comprising Sharath Kamal, world No 15 Chuang Chih-Yuan, world No 22 Aruna Quadri and world No 18 Sofia Polcanova.
The teams will be aiming for an early lead as they play their second ties in the next three days of action before heading to the capital. Delhi fans get an opportunity to root for their homegrown star Manika as Dabang Smashers will lock horns with RP-SG Mavericks in the first tie at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex. The next five days are expected to throw up some exciting fare as teams will be looking to log maximum points.
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 TTC, 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 semi-final the next day. The final will be on July 1.
The total prize money up for grabs is Rs 3 crore. The winners will get richer by Rs 1 crore, while the runners-up will bag Rs 75 lakh. Both losing semi-finalists will get Rs 50 lakh each. All matches will commence at 7 pm IST and will be telecast live on Star Sports Select 1 HD and SD, Hotstar and Jio TV.
