Synopsis
The Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 auction witnessed Chinese player Fan Siqi as the highest-valued player, while India's Diya Chitale made waves as the top Indian acquisition, returning to Dabang Delhi TTC. The auction was marked by intense bidding and strategic team builds ahead of the upcoming season.Key Takeaways
- Fan Siqi became the highest-valued player at 19.7 Lakh tokens.
- Diya Chitale was the top Indian pick at 14.1 Lakh tokens.
- Dabang Delhi TTC retained Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and added new talents.
- Goa Challengers successfully re-signed Harmeet Desai.
- The league will take place from May 29 to June 15 in Ahmedabad.
Mumbai, April 15 ( IANS) Season 3 champions Chennai Lions have acquired Chinese paddler Fan Siqi as the highest-valued player at the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) auction held on Tuesday, investing 19.7 Lakh tokens for her participation in Season 6. In a historic first, India’s leading national player Diya Chitale also made headlines by becoming the top-valued Indian paddler, rejoining Dabang Delhi TTC through the Right to Match (RTM) card for 14.1 Lakh tokens following a fierce bidding competition.
The reigning champions, Goa Challengers, successfully re-signed their two-time title-winning captain Harmeet Desai using RTM for a bid of 14 Lakh tokens, which is double his base price. Dabang Delhi TTC welcomed back Sathiyan Gnanasekaran with a bid of 10 Lakh tokens, marking him as the only player to remain with the same team across all six seasons.
Sreeja Akula returned to Jaipur Patriots for 11 Lakh tokens (RTM), while Ahmedabad SG Pipers secured Manika Batra for 12 Lakh tokens. Young talents Ankur Bhattacharjee and Payas Jain were selected by Kolkata ThunderBlades and Chennai Lions for 11.4 and 11.6 Lakh tokens respectively, as all eight franchises strategized their recruitment for the upcoming season.
This franchise-based league, governed by the Table Tennis Federation of India, is scheduled to commence from May 29 to June 15 at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad.
Goa paired Harmeet with his partner Krittwika Sinha Roy, along with Olympians Tiago Apolonia and Zeng Jian, as well as young talents Ronit Bhanja and Sayali Wani. Besides Sathiyan and Diya, Dabang Delhi also added young talent Suhana Saini and Olympians Quek Izaac and Maria Xiao to create a well-rounded team.
“We’re excited to have Harmeet back with Goa Challengers, as this was a priority for us during the auction. The auction was a success, and we’ve formed a balanced team. Now, our focus is on defending our title and becoming the first team to win three consecutive championships,” said Vivek Bhargava, owner of Goa Challengers.
“I trust that Sathiyan will lead us effectively, and our new signings will gain valuable insights from him. They will appreciate the unity that the Dabang Delhi franchise fosters, which will be essential for our success,” added Prashant Mishra, CEO of Dabang Delhi.
Newcomers Kolkata ThunderBlades successfully acquired Adriana Diaz for 19.3 Lakh tokens and paired her with seasoned Nigerian player Quadri Aruna, who was picked at his base price of 11 Lakh tokens. Nineteen-year-old Ankur completed the formidable attack lineup of Kolkata. Chennai Lions matched Siqi with former U-17 World No. 1 Payas and Kazakhstan's Kirill Gerassimenko.
“Our goal at the auction was to secure Adriana, Aruna, Ankur, Selena (Selvakumar), and others — and we achieved just that,” stated Anshul Garg, team director of Kolkata ThunderBlades.
“The auction was an exhilarating experience! It kept all teams on their toes, creating an atmosphere of excitement and tension! I thoroughly enjoyed the process,” remarked GS Ravi, owner of Chennai Lions.
PBG Pune Jaguars acquired Spanish star Alvaro Robles for 18.1 Lakh tokens, making him the third-highest bid of the day. Pune also utilized their RTM card to retain rising star Taneesha Kotecha.
“We are satisfied with our team. We’re glad to have Alvaro back, who performed exceptionally well. With RTM, we’re pleased to bring back Taneesha, along with Dina, Reeth, Mudit, and Anirban,” expressed Punit Balan, owner of Pune Jaguars.
U Mumba TT focused on acquiring top domestic talent, acquiring Yashaswini Ghorpade for 8.6 Lakh tokens and bringing in PB Abhinandh, alongside seasoned international stars Bernadette Szocs and Lilian Bardet.
“We are thrilled to have Akash Pal back with us. Lilian (Bardet) is also a very promising talent. Our female lineup is strong, featuring two top Indian players and Bernadette Szocs. We also have Abhinandh, one of the leading U-19 stars in Indian table tennis,” stated Suhail Chandhok, CEO of U Mumba.
Ahmedabad SG Pipers added star power by securing Manika, pairing her with Snehit Suravajjula, a WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025 quarter-finalist. The home team also recruited experienced foreign players Ricardo Walther and Giorgia Piccolin.
“I'm delighted with our acquisitions, particularly Manika Batra, who is the face of Indian Table Tennis. This is a well-balanced team with the capability and strategy to compete at the highest level. We are confident in winning the IndianOil UTT trophy on home soil!” said Rohan Gupta, owner of Ahmedabad SG Pipers.
Jaipur Patriots retained WTT Contender Lagos 2024 champion Sreeja using their RTM card, while signing Kanak Jha from the USA and Britt Eerland from the Netherlands as their foreign players. Jeet Chandra, Pritha Vartikar, and Yashansh Malik completed the six-member squad.
“We are aiming for success and couldn't have wished for a better team. Last time we had Sreeja, but her injury was unfortunate. However, this time she’s back and we are eager for everyone to give their best on the field,” remarked Parina Parekh, owner of Jaipur Patriots.
Each of the eight teams will compete in five league stage matches, with the top four advancing to the semi-finals.
UTT Season 6 Teams
Ahmedabad SG Pipers: Manika Batra – 12 Lakh tokens, Ricardo Walther – 11.6 Lakh tokens, Snehit Suravajjula – 9.9 Lakh tokens, Giorgia Piccolin – 7 Lakh tokens, Divyansh Srivastava – 4 Lakh tokens, Yashini Sivashankar – 2 Lakh tokens
Chennai Lions: Fan Siqi (China) – 19.7 Lakh tokens, Kirill Gerassimenko (Kazakhstan) – 12.4 Lakh tokens, Payas Jain – 11.6 Lakh tokens, Sudhanshu Grover – 2 Lakh tokens, Jennifer Varghese – 2 Lakh tokens, Nikhat Banu – 2 Lakh tokens
Dabang Delhi TTC: Diya Chitale – 14.1 Lakh tokens (RTM), Maria Xiao (Spain) – 12.6 Lakh tokens, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran – 10 Lakh tokens, Quek Izaac (Singapore) – 7 Lakh tokens, Suhana Saini – 2.3 Lakh tokens, Sourav Saha – 2.1 Lakh tokens
Goa Challengers TTC: Zeng Jian (Singapore) – 17.2 Lakh tokens, Harmeet Desai – 14 Lakh tokens (RTM), Tiago Apolonia (Portugal) – 7 Lakh tokens, Ronit Bhanja – 4 Lakh tokens, Krittwika Sinha Roy – 4 Lakh tokens, Sayali Wani – 3.7 Lakh tokens
Jaipur Patriots: Britt Eerland (Netherlands) – 11.1 Lakh tokens, Kanak Jha (USA) – 11 Lakh tokens, Sreeja Akula – 11 Lakh tokens (RTM), Jeet Chandra – 5.7 Lakh tokens, Pritha Vartikar – 2.4 Lakh tokens, Yashansh Malik – 2 Lakh tokens
Kolkata ThunderBlades: Adriana Diaz (Puerto Rico) – 19.3 Lakh tokens, Aruna Quadri (Nigeria) – 11 Lakh tokens, Ankur Bhattacharjee – 11.4 Lakh tokens (RTM), Selena Selvakumar – 3.9 Lakh tokens, Ananya Chande – 2 Lakh tokens, Deepit Patil – 2 Lakh tokens
U Mumba TT: Bernadette Szocs (Romania) – 15.3 Lakh tokens, Lilian Bardet (France) – 11.1 Lakh tokens, Yashaswini Ghorpade – 8.6 Lakh tokens, Swastika Ghosh – 7 Lakh tokens, Akash Pal – 4 Lakh tokens (RTM), Abhinandh PB – 2.1 Lakh tokens
PBG Pune Jaguars: Alvaro Robles (Spain) – 18.1 Lakh tokens, Dina Meshref (Egypt) – 11 Lakh tokens, Taneesha Kotecha – 4 Lakh tokens (RTM), Anirban Ghosh – 4 Lakh tokens
