Latest news with #UMumba
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
UTT 2025: From Worlds medal to packed calendar, Bernadette Szocs enjoying life on the fast lane
Life of an elite professional athlete doesn't have much room for time outside the sporting arena. Achievements, regardless of how big they may be, are seldom celebrated in a grand manner. From one tournament to the other, the journey continues. But Bernadette Szocs doesn't mind it one bit. 'I haven't had a holiday in three years. I maybe had a maximum of two or three days off. But I don't regret it at all because I love what I do. This is my life. I always enjoy playing,' says the Romanian. World No. 12 Szocs is in India, leading U Mumba in the sixth season of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) league in Ahmedabad which started on May 31. The tournament began barely a week after one of the biggest days of her career. ALSO READ | More matches, variations and problem-solving: How Sreeja Akula hopes to use UTT 2025 to regain lost form At the recent World Championships in Doha, Szocs and her Austrian partner Sofia Polcanova became the first European pair since 1977 to reach the women's doubles final. While they could not finish at the top of the podium, Szocs became the first Romanian woman since 1993 to win a medal at the event. But for the 30-year-old Szocs, there was no time to celebrate. 'After the World Championships, I had to go to Romania to play the Romania league final. And then, I flew directly to India, So, I didn't want to celebrate or party because I also wanted to focus on the tournament here in India,' she says. 'I am happy to be back in India and be a part of UTT. I have a lot of fans here and it is always a pleasure to be a part of this league.' Szocs hopes to find some time after UTT, which ends on June 15, to invite some of her friends and people close to her to celebrate the World Championships medal before she goes to Slovenia for the WTT Star Contender event beginning from June 17. At the moment, she does have someone special with her in India - her mother, who has been cheering for her from the stands. 'This year, I brought my mother with me so that I can spend some time with her. Last year, she wanted to come but I didn't know how it would be here. This year, I gave her a surprise and said that you're coming with me,' she says. In U Mumba's two ties so far, Szocs has played two singles and two mixed doubles matches. She had a tough tournament opener against PBG Pune Jaguars where she just managed to come from three match points down to beat Dina Meshref in singles. Mixed doubles with Akash Pal ended in a defeat. ALSO READ | Nick Kyrgios out of Wimbledon with injury During her UTT matches in the past, Szocs has been seen sporting a traditional bindi, a tiny ornament commonly worn by Hindu women in between the eyebrows. However, the bindi was missing when she played the first tie this season. But her second outing was a much more comfortable affair against Ahmedabad SG Pipers where she won both. 'I forgot it. I feel this is very lucky. So, the first thing I did when I woke up was to put this directly in my bag. I couldn't play one more match without it,' says Szocs after the win over Ahmedabad.
India Gazette
5 days ago
- Sport
- India Gazette
PKL 12 Auction: 10 crorepatis highlight day 1, Aanil Mohan scripts history on day 2
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 1 (ANI): Another exciting Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) player Auction for season 12 concluded on Sunday after a weekend of intense bidding action as the 12 franchisees built teams worthy of providing a healthy competition for the upcoming season. 10 crorepatis were the top highlight of day 1, as two-time champion Mohammadreza Shadloui joined the Gujarat Giants for a whopping INR 2.23 Crores, as per a release from PKL12 Auction. With him in the 2 Crore group was Devank Dalal, the Best Raider in PKL 11. He was signed by Bengal Warriorz for INR 2.205 Crores, making him the fifth-most expensive player in the PKL Player Auction after Shadloui's bid on Saturday. The new Final Bid Match (FBM) rule was also seen in action across the two days, allowing teams to buy back their released players by matching the final auction bid price, for either one or two seasons. While five players were retained for two seasons, nine players were retained for one season. Category C was a golden opportunity for the all-rounders, with the likes of Nitin Rawal, Gurdeep and Dheeraj earning high bids. Nitin joined Jaipur Pink Panthers for a fee of INR 50 Lakhs, while Gurdeep was signed by Puneri Paltan for INR 47.10 Lakhs and Dheeraj will don the Bengaluru Bulls jersey after earning an impressive bid of INR 40.20 Lakhs. However, it was raider Akash Shinde who took the top bid in this category, moving to Bengaluru Bulls for INR 53.10 Lakhs. In what was one of the most surprising moves of the Player Auction, an exciting bidding war saw U Mumba secure the services of Aanil Mohan for an impressive INR 78 Lakhs - the highest-ever bid in Category D in PKL history. The all-rounder from Himachal Pradesh won the highest bid across both categories on Day 2, with Uday Parte getting the second-highest bid in Category D. He was signed by Jaipur Pink Panthers INR 50.10 Lakhs. Speaking about the Player Auction, Anupam Goswami, Business Head, Mashal Sports & League Commissioner, Pro Kabaddi League, 'It is very positive that the momentum of the PKL 12 Player Auction Day 1 has been maintained on Day 2. The teams have displayed strong interest in Categories C and D, especially through the Rs78 lakh buy for PKL debutant Aanil Mohan, the highest ever for a Category D player in our League's history. Such fresh players often form the backbone of a team, and investing in their growth is key to building competitive squads for the long term. Of course, the emergence of 10 'Crorepati' players this season reflects a balanced market, where both established names and new talent are being valued appropriately. It sets the tone for another competitive season ahead,' as quoted from a release by PKL12 Auction. Aanil Mohan, who was signed by U Mumba, shared his excitement at the end of the Player Auction, 'It feels very exciting to finally be a part of the PKL and to see my hard work paying off. I am also thankful to U Mumba for their efforts in signing me for the upcoming season and hope to leave a mark. Mumba have nurtured a lot of Raiding stars in the past and I hope I can follow in their footsteps. Playing in this league is a dream come true and I will do my best to ensure I can repay the faith put in me.' (ANI)
NDTV
5 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
PKL 12 Auction: 10 Crorepatis Highlight Day 1, Aanil Mohan Scripts History On Day 2
Another exciting PKL Player Auction for Season 12 concluded on Sunday after a weekend of intense bidding action as the 12 franchises built teams worthy of providing a healthy competition for the upcoming season. 10 crorepatis were the top highlight of Day 1, as two-time champion Mohammadreza Shadloui joined the Gujarat Giants for a whopping Rs 2.23 crores. With him in the 2 Crore group was Devank Dalal, the Best Raider in PKL 11. He was signed by Bengal Warriorz for Rs 2.205 crores, making him the fifth-most expensive player in the PKL Player Auction after Shadloui's bid on Saturday. The new Final Bid Match (FBM) rule was also seen in action across the two days, allowing teams to buy back their released players by matching the final auction bid price, for either one or two seasons. While five players were retained for two seasons, nine players were retained for one season. Category C was a golden opportunity for the all-rounders, with the likes of Nitin Rawal, Gurdeep and Dheeraj earning high bids. Nitin joined Jaipur Pink Panthers for a fee of Rs 50 lakhs, while Gurdeep was signed by Puneri Paltan for Rs 47.10 lakhs and Dheeraj will don the Bengaluru Bulls jersey after earning an impressive bid of Rs 40.20 lakhs. However, it was raider Akash Shinde who took the top bid in this category, moving to Bengaluru Bulls for Rs 53.10 lakhs. In what was one of the most surprising moves of the Player Auction, an exciting bidding war saw U Mumba secure the services of Aanil Mohan for an impressive Rs 78 lakhs – the highest-ever bid in Category D in PKL history. The all-rounder from Himachal Pradesh won the highest bid across both categories on Day 2, with Uday Parte getting the second-highest bid in Category D. He was signed by Jaipur Pink Panthers Rs 50.10 lakhs. Speaking about the Player Auction, Anupam Goswami, League Commissioner of Pro Kabaddi League said, 'It is very positive that the momentum of the PKL 12 Player Auction Day 1 has been maintained on Day 2. The teams have displayed strong interest in Categories C and D, especially through the Rs 78 lakh buy for PKL debutant Aanil Mohan, the highest ever for a Category D player in our League's history. Such fresh players often form the backbone of a team, and investing in their growth is key to building competitive squads for the long term. Of course, the emergence of 10 'Crorepati' players this season reflects a balanced market, where both established names and new talent are being valued appropriately. It sets the tone for another competitive season ahead.' Aanil Mohan, who was signed by U Mumba, shared his excitement at the end of the Player Auction, "It feels very exciting to finally be a part of the PKL and to see my hard work paying off. I am also thankful to U Mumba for their efforts in signing me for the upcoming season and hope to leave a mark. Mumba has nurtured a lot of Raiding stars in the past and I hope I can follow in their footsteps. Playing in this league is a dream come true and I will do my best to ensure I can repay the faith put in me." Listen to the latest songs, only on
News18
5 days ago
- Sport
- News18
PKL 12 Auction: 10 Crorepatis Highlight Day 1; Aanil Mohan Scripts History On Day 2
New FBM rule sees 5 players retained across two seasons as franchises invest heavily in squad building for Season 12. Day 2 of the PKL Player Auction for Season 12 concluded on Sunday after a weekend of intense bidding action as the 12 franchisees built teams worthy of providing a healthy competition for the upcoming season. 10 Crorepatis were the top highlight of Day 1, as two-time champion Mohammadreza Shadloui joined the Gujarat Giants for a whopping INR 2.23 Crores. With him in the 2 Crore group was Devank Dalal, the Best Raider in PKL 11. He was signed by Bengal Warriorz for INR 2.205 Crores, making him the fifth-most expensive player in the PKL Player Auction after Shadloui's bid on Saturday. The new Final Bid Match (FBM) rule was also seen in action across the two days, allowing teams to buy back their released players by matching the final auction bid price, for either one or two seasons. While five players were retained for two seasons, nine players were retained for one season. advetisement All-rounders shine in Category C Category C was a golden opportunity for the all-rounders, with the likes of Nitin Rawal, Gurdeep, and Dheeraj earning high bids. Nitin joined Jaipur Pink Panthers for a fee of INR 50 Lakhs, while Gurdeep was signed by Puneri Paltan for INR 47.10 Lakh,s and Dheeraj will don the Bengaluru Bulls jersey after earning an impressive bid of INR 40.20 Lakhs. However, it was raider Akash Shinde who took the top bid in this category, moving to Bengaluru Bulls for INR 53.10 Lakhs. Aanil Mohan steals the show with the highest bid in Category D In what was one of the most surprising moves of the Player Auction, an exciting bidding war saw U Mumba secure the services of Aanil Mohan for an impressive INR 78 Lakhs – the highest-ever bid in Category D in PKL history. The all-rounder from Himachal Pradesh won the highest bid across both categories on Day 2, with Uday Parte getting the second-highest bid in Category D. He was signed by Jaipur Pink Panthers INR 50.10 Lakhs. 'It feels very exciting to finally be a part of the PKL and to see my hard work paying off. I am also thankful to U Mumba for their efforts in signing me for the upcoming season and hope to leave a mark," Aanil Mohan, who was signed by U Mumba, stated. 'Mumba has nurtured a lot of Raiding stars in the past, and I hope I can follow in their footsteps. Playing in this league is a dream come true, and I will do my best to ensure I can repay the faith put in me." About the Author Sports Desk First Published:
News18
5 days ago
- Sport
- News18
UTT Season 6: Pune Jaguars Rally To Post Come-From-Behind Win Over U Mumba
The Jaguars got their campaign underway on a positive note with a 9-6 come-from-behind win over Mumba on Sunday. The Pune Jaguars registered a 9-6 comeback win over the U Mumba on Sunday in Season 6 of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) in Ahmedabad. The Jaguars got their campaign underway on a positive note with a come-from-behind win over Mumba as the Pune-based side overturned an early disadvantage after losing the first men's and women's singles rubbers. In the opening match of the day, Lillian Bardet of France displayed quick reflexes and excellent shot control, especially with his forehand, to stun 39th-ranked Alvaro Robles of Spain 2-1 (11-1 11-4 8-11) in the first men's singles, giving U Mumba the initial advantage. Bernadette Szocs of Romania defeated world no. 48 Dina Meshref of Egypt 2-1 (5-11 11-10 11-9) for U Mumba. Despite the loss, Meshref put up a tough fight against her higher-ranked opponent but ultimately fell short as Szocs' powerful smashes from both forehand and backhand made the difference. advetisement ALSO READ| Inter Milan 'Committed' To Retaining Simone Inzaghi Despite UCL Final Loss, Says Marotta The Indo-Egyptian pair of young Anirban Ghosh and Meshref then teamed up to prevail over the Indo-Romanian pair of Akash Pal and Szocs 2-1 (7-11 11-7 11-10) in a fiercely contested mixed doubles match. Anirban Ghosh continued his form by defeating Akash Pal 2-1 (11-6 10-11 11-6) in the reverse men's singles match, leveling the scores for Pune Jaguars. With the score tied at 6-6 after four matches, the women's singles match between U Mumba's Swastika Ghosh and Pune Jaguars' Reeth Rishya became the decider. Reeth emerged victorious, defeating Swastika 3-0 (11-9 11-10 11-6), securing the win for Pune Jaguars. ALSO READ| Two Dead, Hundreds Arrested As France Burns After PSG's Champions League Triumph In the league stage of the UTT league, a game is won when a player scores 11 points first, with a golden point deciding games tied at 10-10. A team wins a tie by winning the most games. In the league stage, a team wins a tie by securing at least eight out of the 15 total games. (With Inputs From PTI) First Published: June 01, 2025, 20:26 IST
