Veteran Sharath Kamal and G Sathiyan are among the four players retained by their respective franchises ahead of the fourth season of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) league.
Defending champion Chennai Lions has retained ten-time national champion Sharath, while UTT season 3 finalist Dabang Delhi TTC have decided to continue with Sathiyan at the fore.
India’s star female paddler Manika Batra has been retained by Bengaluru Smashers with the retention transfer originating from her former franchise, while Asian Games bronze medallist Manav Thakkar will continue at U Mumba TT.
“This will be my fourth consecutive season for Dabang Delhi. The most unforgettable moment was certainly winning the championship point for Dabang Delhi in season 2. I am eagerly looking forward to playing for the Delhi family again and winning the UTT this year,” Sathiyan said.
The franchise-based league, promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, falls under the purview of the Table Tennis Federation of India.
The upcoming season will feature six teams: Bengaluru Smashers, Chennai Lions, Dabang Delhi TTC, Goa Challengers, Puneri Paltan Table Tennis and U Mumba TT.
At the recently concluded UTT season 4 coach draft, where franchises were able to pick two coaches each, attention now turns towards building a six-player squad at the player draft to be held in Mumbai next month.
There will be a pool of 40 players available, from which each team can pick two foreigners—one male and one female—and four Indians—two males and two females.
The league will be held at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune from July 13-30.
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