Chennai, Feb 2 (NationPress) The WTT Feeder Series Vadodara 2026 women’s singles runner-up Anusha Kutumbale and WTT Youth Contender Vadodara 2026 boys’ under-19 singles champion Priyanuj Bhattacharyya headline the list of wild card entrants from India. The host nation will showcase a remarkable 23 players in the main draw, contributing to a total of 33 entries at the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026, co-hosted by Ultimate Table Tennis and Sharath Kamal Academy, supported by SDAT. The event is scheduled to take place at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University from February 10-15.

All four wild card spots in the women’s singles category have been awarded to Indian players. Rising talents Anusha Kutumbale, Sayali Wani, Kavya Bhatt, and Taneesha Kotecha have been selected, while Anirban Ghosh and Divyansh Srivastava join Priyanuj in the main draw. The sole wild card entrant in the men’s singles is Remi Betelu from France.

The second iteration of the WTT Star Contender Chennai boasts an increased prize pool of USD 300,000, with Indian table tennis icon Achanta Sharath Kamal serving as the Event Director. Notably, he retired from professional table tennis during this event last year.

Young talent Abhinandh Pradhivadhi, a member of the historic bronze medal-winning team at the ITTF World Youth Championship, has received a youth wild card in men’s singles. Additionally, Divyanshi Bhowmick, the 2025 Asian Youth Champion, has secured the youth wild card in women’s singles.

Event Director Sharath Kamal commented on the wild cards, stating, “The wild cards in major tournaments aim to give budding talent a chance to compete against world-class players. I believe Indian players will display their abilities on home ground. It’s encouraging to see so many young athletes receiving wild cards this year, and I’m confident this experience will elevate their international careers.”

The Indian contingent in men’s singles will be spearheaded by Manav Thakkar, last edition's semi-finalist and world number 33, alongside Manush Shah, the WTT Feeder Series Vadodara 2026 champion, and seasoned players G Sathiyan and Harmeet Desai.

Manush Shah and national champion Diya Chitale, who became the first Indian duo to qualify for the WTT Finals qualifiers, will now enter the main draw as direct entrants.

Mudit Dani, the runner-up of WTT Feeder Vadodara 2026, along with Anirban Ghosh, has received a wild card in men’s doubles, joining Swedish players Kristian Karlsson and Elias Ranefur.

The winning duo of Syndrela Das & Payas Jain from WTT Feeder Vadodara 2026 have secured a wild card in mixed doubles, while the women’s doubles wild card goes to Swastika Ghosh from India and Sarah De Nutte from Luxembourg.

Additionally, Ryu Hanna from South Korea and Kotomi Omoda from Japan have been awarded women's singles wild cards through WTT Nomination, while Kang Dongsoo from Korea and Esteban Dorr from France received nominations in the men’s singles.