It had retained the oldest member for the fifth edition of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT). On Tuesday, during the Player Draft, Chennai Lions added the youngest member in the UTT’s fifth season, P.B. Abhinandh, to its roster to strike a rare phenomenon.
Interestingly, Sharath - who cut a cake two days ahead of turning 42 - and Abhinandh, 16, will have a chance to showcase their thrills in the Lions’ bid to regain the crown on home turf during UTT’s fifth edition, to be played in Chennai from August 22.
The Lions also achieved the rare distinction of having both the Padma Shri table tennis recipients in its squad, with Sharath – seated on the yellow table hours before departing for his record fifth Olympic bid – welcoming veteran Mouma Das to its roster.
Defending champion Goa Challengers had a revised look, with Australia’s Yangzi Liu – who was among the most consistent singles players in UTT 2023 – joining captain Harmeet Desai.
While PBG Bengaluru Smashers struck gold by adding Spaniard southpaw Alvaro Robles and USA’s aggressive female paddler Lily Zhang, along with retained Manika Batra, the two new teams – Jaipur Patriots and Ahmedabad SG Pipers – will rely on the Indian stars.
While the Patriots picked in-form Sreeja Akula up front, the Ahmedabad outfit went for Gujarat’s son, a bespectacled Manush Shah to lead its troupes.
Diluted field
While most international stars from the last edition have given UTT a miss this time around, three prominent Indian paddlers also pulled out of the franchise-based league.
Archana Kamath, a member of India’s Paris-bound women’s squad, has cited personal reasons due to a planned family vacation immediately after the Olympics, while promising youngsters Payas Jain and Suhana Saini will focus on improving their world junior rankings on the international circuit.
Comments
SHARE