The world of international table tennis will once again turn its gaze to India in February as the WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026 returns with greater ambition, higher stakes and a fresh setting.
Scheduled to be held from February 10 to 15 at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University (TNPESU), the tournament will mark Chennai’s second time as host and the fourth WTT Star Contender event ever staged on Indian soil. With an upgraded prize purse of USD 300,000 and a packed field featuring global stars alongside a strong Indian contingent, the event is set to be one of the most significant weeks on India’s sporting calendar this year.
The increase in prize money from USD 275,000 to USD 300,000 underlines both the growing prestige of the Chennai leg and India’s rising status on the World Table Tennis circuit. The incentives for players are substantial: singles champions will earn USD 17,000 along with 600 world ranking points, while the doubles winners will take home USD 5,500 and the same 600 points. In the hyper-competitive world of professional table tennis, where ranking positions directly determine entry into elite events and Olympic qualification pathways, those points could prove as valuable as the prize money itself.
Adding a layer of symbolism to the 2026 edition is the role of Sharath Kamal. India’s greatest-ever men’s singles player, who officially retired from professional table tennis at this very tournament in 2025, will now serve as the Tournament Director. For Sharath, it is a seamless transition from competitor to custodian. Few understand the demands of elite table tennis from logistics and scheduling to athlete needs and fan engagement as intimately as he does, and his involvement gives the Chennai event a rare blend of international credibility and Indian ownership.
On the court, the 2026 edition promises a high-quality contest. Korea’s Oh Junsung and Japan’s teenage sensation Miwa Harimoto return as the reigning champions in men’s and women’s singles respectively. Both players have rapidly established themselves as part of the sport’s new elite, and their presence ensures that Chennai will witness world-class speed, athleticism and tactical brilliance.
For Indian fans, however, the spotlight will fall just as strongly on the homegrown stars. India’s campaign will be led by world No. 7 Manav Thakkar, who reached the semi-finals in Chennai last season and has since consolidated his place among the global top tier. Thakkar’s rise has been one of the most encouraging stories in Indian sport over the last two years, and performing on home soil in a high-ranking WTT event offers him a chance to further elevate his standing.
Alongside him, the experienced Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Manush Shah and Harmeet Desai will provide depth and tactical variety, while Ayhika Mukherjee leads the women’s challenge. A new generation of Indian players will also get the opportunity to test themselves against elite international opposition, with Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale and Snehit Suravajjula all included in the draw.
The doubles events, in particular, will be an area of real optimism for India. Manush Shah and Diya Chitale arrive in Chennai as champions from the WTT Contender Muscat 2026 and as India’s first-ever qualifiers for the WTT Finals in mixed doubles a landmark achievement that reflects the growing sophistication of Indian doubles play. In the men’s doubles, the pairing of Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah, ranked among the world’s best, will carry genuine medal hopes.
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The scale of the Chennai tournament also reflects how deeply India has embedded itself into the WTT ecosystem. A total of 167 players from 17 countries will take part, including 90 Indians and 77 foreign competitors. That balance is significant. It not only provides Indian players with rare opportunities to face international opponents without the financial and logistical burden of overseas travel, but also allows global stars to engage directly with India’s fast-growing table tennis audience.
The event will follow a knockout format, with qualifying rounds beginning on February 10 before the main draw starts on February 12. Over the course of six days, the TNPESU venue will become a hub of continuous, high-intensity action as singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles are contested.
Beyond the numbers and the names, WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026 represents something larger for Indian table tennis. Hosting a tournament of this stature, with enhanced prize money and ranking points, sends a clear signal that India is no longer just a developing nation in the sport, but a central pillar of the global circuit. For young Indian paddlers watching from the stands or on screens, it provides a tangible pathway from domestic success to world-class competition.
With Sharath Kamal now guiding the event off the table, a new generation stepping up on it, and the WTT investing more heavily than ever in Chennai, the 2026 edition is poised to be more than just another stop on the tour. It is shaping up to be a statement of India’s ambition, its growing talent base, and its increasingly important place in the future of world table tennis.
