UTT's sixth season kicks off on May 31, final on June 15
U Mumba TT, led by world No. 14 Bernadette Szocs and rising Indian star Yashaswini Ghorpade, begin their season with a Maharashtra Derby on June 1 against PBG Pune Jaguars, spearheaded by Spanish ace Alvaro Robles.
Earlier in the evening, Season 2 winners Dabang Delhi TTC will face Sreeja Akula-led Jaipur Patriots in the opener. Eight franchises will compete across 23 ties with the finale set for June 15.
New Delhi, May 16 (PTI) The sixth season of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) will begin at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad with a double-header including a match between defending champions Dempo Goa Challengers and home team Ahmedabad SG Pipers.
Debutants Kolkata ThunderBlades, featuring world youth no. 5 Ankur Bhattacharjee and Olympians Quadri Aruna and Adriana Diaz, open their campaign on June 2 against Season 3 winners Chennai Lions, headlined by China's Fan Siqi, the most expensive pick at this year's auction, and former world youth number one (U-17) Payas Jain.
Other key clashes lined up include the Western Derby between Mumbai and Ahmedabad on June 2.
A rematch of last year's final between Dabang Delhi and Dempo Goa Challengers, which pits Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Diya Chitale against Harmeet Desai and Singapore's Zeng Jian, is set for June 4.
The semifinals will be played on June 13 and 14.
Each team will play five ties in the group stage, while each tie will consist of five matches — two men's singles, two women's singles, and one mixed doubles.
After the league stage, the top four teams on the points table will progress to the knockout stage before the semifinals and the finals. PTI AH PM AH PM PM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
17 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Virat Kohli to come out of retirement and play again if…: 'He still loves Test cricket. Whatever his reasons are…'
As we get closer to the Test series between India and England – starting in 14 days – the reality that Virat Kohli will no longer be in the dressing room in whites is hitting harder. It's been almost a month since Kohli decided to retire from the format which he so dearly loved and had a passion for like no one else. Besides, he is only 36. Surely, he could have gone on for another couple of years, right? Well, only Kohli knows why he decided what he did. But rest assured, his absence will be felt in England, and more so, when someone else walks out to bat at the fall of India's second wicket in Headingley, Leeds. A few days ago, Indian cricket made one final push to change Kohli's mind when Arun Dhumal, the IPL president, urged Virat to reconsider his decision. He said he wanted Kohli to take back his retirement if his team, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, won the IPL. It's been more than 48 hours since RCB lifted their maiden IPL trophy, but Kohli has been silent on the matter. However, the one thing he did make clear shortly after he became an IPL champion was how much admiration he still has for Test cricket, when he called winning the IPL 'five levels below' Test cricket. Also Read: Virat Kohli 'wasn't ready to give up Test cricket', something happened in 2 weeks; 'His relation with Gautam Gambhir...' Which is why Michael Clarke believes that we may not have seen the last of Virat Kohli in whites just yet. The former Australia World Cup-winning captain firmly feels that if the Indian team gets rogered in England, Kohli will come out of retirement. India are yet to win a Test series in England since 2007. They were whitewashed 0-4 in 2011, lost 1-3 in 2014, were humbled 1-4 in 2018 and drew 2-2 in 2021/22. With this being one of the least experienced Indian teams to ever tour England, India's wait could prolong further, and if that happens, chances are that Kohli could rethink his decision with a little bit of persuasion. "I believe this. If India go to England and get flogged, if they lose the series 5-0 for example, I think the fans will want Virat Kohli to come out of retirement and play Test cricket again. And I honestly, I think if he was asked by captain, selectors and supported by fans, if they get beaten big time in England, I think he'll come. He still loves Test cricket. I think his words, I think those words, like you could hear his passion for Test cricket is real," Clarke said on the Beyond23 podcast. Also Read: 'I saw a very different, angry Virat Kohli in Australia'; Aussie legend's fresh theory adds fuel to Test retirement saga "He sees it as the pinnacle and he's still playing good enough cricket. He definitely made the decision to retire and whatever his reasons are, everybody comes to that time in their career. If that's the case, then so be it. But if they don't perform, if they get beaten, like I say, 5-0 in England, which I don't think they will. I think they can still win in England, even without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. I think this Indian squad is a good squad." One can also look at it from a point of view that, despite his declaration, Kohli has unfinished business with England. He had a forgettable tour in 2014, managing just 134 runs from five Tests, but four years later, made a tremendous comeback – arguably the best ever seen in Test cricket – when he pummelled almost 700 runs. Although India lost that series, he got the team perilously close to creating history three years later. India won the Test matches at Lord's and The Oval, and had the Trent Bridge match in their control when rain played spoilsport on the final day. The fifth Test was rescheduled due to Covid-19 the following year, which India lost to end the series 2-2. Clarke is mindful of the fact that the current Indian team is full of promise, good enough to do what no team before them has done in 18 years. But in case things go haywire, Kohli may be motivated to take his retirement back. "India is a passionate cricket country. They want to see their team win. I think they can still beat England. There you go. I think they're a good enough team. But if they don't, if they get flogged, I think there'll be a push for Virat Kohli to come out of retirement," he said.
Time of India
17 minutes ago
- Time of India
IND A vs ENG Lions Live Score, 2nd Unofficial Test: All eyes on KL Rahul
India A vs England Lions Live Score, 2nd Unofficial Test: KL Rahul will turn out for India 'A' in their second red-ball game against England Lions, starting in Northampton on June 6. KL Rahul had travelled to England ahead of the main Indian squad to acclimatise to the conditions before the five-Test series. KL Rahul had requested the BCCI to allow him to participate in the second India A game against England Lions. It's not the first time that Rahul, now the side's senior most batter with 58 caps, after the retirements of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, will be turning out for India 'A' ahead of an important overseas Test tour. Last year, shortly after India lost the third Test to New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and suffered an unprecedented 3-0 series defeat at home, Rahul and wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel flew to Melbourne to turn out for India 'A' in their red-ball game against Australia 'A' at the MCG ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. With Rahul having scored two centuries as an opener on Test tours of England, his experience at the top will be very vital for India to navigate the challenge of facing the moving ball in the initial stage of an innings and then set a total to challenge the ultra-attacking batting style of the Ben Stokes-led side. Squads England Lions Squad: Tom Haines, Ben McKinney, Emilio Gay, Max Holden, James Rew(w/c), Jordan Cox, Chris Woakes, Josh Tongue, Ajeet Dale, Farhan Ahmed, Rocky Flintoff, Edward Jack, George Hill India A: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran(c), Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Harsh Dubey, Anshul Kamboj, Harshit Rana, Mukesh Kumar, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Khaleel Ahmed, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Deep, Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian, Ruturaj Gaikwad
&w=3840&q=100)
India.com
23 minutes ago
- India.com
‘No Extra Pressure Without Rohit & Virat': Shubman Gill Addresses In Press Conference As India Leave For England tour
Following the retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, India is set to tour England with a new Test captain at the helm. The team now enters a transitional phase and may face significant challenges in the demanding English conditions. In a pre-tour press conference, head coach Gautam Gambhir and newly appointed skipper Shubman Gill addressed questions about their first overseas assignment in their respective roles, expressing confidence and outlining their vision for the upcoming Test series. At the pre-departure press conference in Mumbai on Thursday, the first question posed to newly appointed India Test captain Shubman Gill was whether he felt any added pressure, especially with this being his maiden tour as captain and the team missing two stalwarts, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. However, Gill handled it calmly and confidently. 'There's always pressure when you play a match or start a tour,' he said. 'But there's no extra pressure because of the captaincy. Of course, Rohit and Virat are very experienced players, and it's difficult to fill that void. But our team has plenty of experience too; we've played a lot of matches together. Our batting and bowling units are strong, and everyone is used to dealing with pressure.' The tour begins with the first Test at Headingley, Leeds, on June 20, marking a new chapter in Indian cricket with Gill at the helm. Head coach Gautam Gambhir, too, was candid when asked if he felt the heat heading into this high-stakes tour. 'I'm always under pressure,' he admitted. 'Whether we win or lose, the pressure never goes away. I felt it after the Australia tour, and even after winning the Champions Trophy. As a coach, you're always chasing results, that doesn't change.' Gambhir added that the squad is eager and motivated, even if many players are visiting England for the first time in their new roles. 'They're excited. They want to prove themselves, and that hunger is the most important thing on a tour like this.' India's fixtures on the England tour: 1st Test, June 20–24 - Headingley, Leeds 2nd Test, July 2–6 - Edgbaston, Birmingham 3rd Test, July 10–14 - Lord's, London 4th Test, July 23–27 - Old Trafford, Manchester 5th Test, July 31 – August 4 - The Oval, London
