The IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis UTT Season 6 auction witnessed strategic moves and intense bidding wars as franchises assembled their squads for the upcoming season, scheduled from May 29 to June 15 at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabad.
Chennai Lions Make a Statement with Fan Siqi
Chennai Lions, the 2019 UTT champions, made headlines by acquiring Chinese paddler Fan Siqi for a record 19.7 lakh tokens, making her the highest-valued player in the auction. Siqi’s addition aims to bolster the Lions’ quest to reclaim the title. She will be joined by Kazakhstan’s Kirill Gerassimenko and India’s promising talent Payas Jain, who was secured for 11.6 lakh tokens.
Diya Chitale: Top Indian Pick Returns to Dabang Delhi
India’s top-ranked female player, Diya Chitale, emerged as the highest-valued Indian paddler, returning to Dabang Delhi TTC through the Right to Match (RTM) card at 14.1 lakh tokens. Chitale’s recent achievements include winning the women’s singles title at the 86th Senior National Table Tennis Championships in January 2025, where she defeated Sreeja Akula in a thrilling seven-game final.
Dabang Delhi also re-signed veteran Sathiyan Gnanasekaran for a record sixth season with a successful bid of 10 lakh tokens. The team added young talent Suhana Saini and Olympians Quek Izaac and Maria Xiao to round out a balanced squad.
Goa Challengers Retain Harmeet Desai
Reigning champions Goa Challengers re-signed two-time title-winning captain Harmeet Desai via RTM with a bid of 14 lakh tokens. Desai’s leadership was pivotal in Goa’s consecutive titles, including the 2024 victory over Dabang Delhi .
The team also secured Olympians Tiago Apolonia and Zeng Jian, along with youngsters Ronit Bhanja and Sayali Wani.
Other Notable Acquisitions
- Ahmedabad SG Pipers added star power with Manika Batra at 12 lakh tokens, uniting her with WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025 quarter-finalist Snehit Suravajjula.
- Debutants Kolkata ThunderBlades landed Adriana Diaz for 19.3 lakh tokens and paired her with experienced Nigerian paddler Quadri Aruna, picked at his base price of 11 lakh tokens.
- PBG Pune Jaguars secured Spanish ace Alvaro Robles for 18.1 lakh tokens, making him the third-highest bid of the day. Pune also used their RTM card to retain Nashik-based rising talent Taneesha Kotecha.
- U Mumba TT invested in top domestic talent, picking up Yashaswini Ghorpade for 8.6 lakh tokens and bringing in PB Abhinandh, alongside seasoned international stars Bernadette Szocs and Lilian Bardet.
- Jaipur Patriots used their RTM card to retain WTT Contender Lagos 2024 winner Sreeja Akula, while also signing USA’s Kanak Jha and the Netherlands’ Britt Eerland as their foreign players.
Season Outlook
With the auction complete, all eight teams have finalized their six-member squads, each comprising a mix of international stars and domestic talents. The league’s format will see each team play five league-stage matches, with the top four advancing to the semi-finals. The season promises high-octane matches and showcases the growing depth and talent in Indian table tennis.
Team Lineups
Ahmedabad SG Pipers
- Manika Batra – 12 Lakh tokens
- Ricardo Walther – 11.6 Lakh tokens
- Snehit Suravajjula – 9.9 Lakh tokens
- Giorgia Piccolin – 7 Lakh tokens
- Divyansh Srivastava – 4 Lakh tokens
- Yashini Sivashankar – 2 Lakh tokens
Owned by Mahesh Bhupathi’s SG Sports, the Pipers have assembled a balanced squad, blending experience with emerging talent.
Chennai Lions
- Fan Siqi (China) – 19.7 Lakh tokens
- Kirill Gerassimenko (Kazakhstan) – 12.4 Lakh tokens
- Payas Jain – 11.6 Lakh tokens
- Sudhanshu Grover – 2 Lakh tokens
- Jennifer Varghese – 2 Lakh tokens
- Nikhat Banu – 2 Lakh tokens
With the acquisition of Fan Siqi, the Lions have bolstered their lineup, aiming for a strong title contention.
Dabang Delhi TTC
- Diya Chitale – 14.1 Lakh tokens (RTM)
- Maria Xiao (Spain) – 12.6 Lakh tokens
- Sathiyan Gnanasekaran – 10 Lakh tokens
- Quek Izaac (Singapore) – 7 Lakh tokens
- Suhana Saini – 2.3 Lakh tokens
- Sourav Saha – 2.1 Lakh tokens
Retaining core players, Delhi focuses on consistency and experience to drive their campaign.
Goa Challengers TTC
- Zeng Jian (Singapore) – 17.2 Lakh tokens
- Harmeet Desai – 14 Lakh tokens (RTM)
- Tiago Apolonia (Portugal) – 7 Lakh tokens
- Ronit Bhanja – 4 Lakh tokens
- Krittwika Sinha Roy – 4 Lakh tokens
- Sayali Wani – 3.7 Lakh tokens
As reigning champions, Goa aims for a historic third consecutive title with a well-rounded squad.
Jaipur Patriots
- Britt Eerland (Netherlands) – 11.1 Lakh tokens
- Kanak Jha (USA) – 11 Lakh tokens
- Sreeja Akula – 11 Lakh tokens (RTM)
- Jeet Chandra – 5.7 Lakh tokens
- Pritha Vartikar – 2.4 Lakh tokens
- Yashansh Malik – 2 Lakh tokens
With a mix of international stars and domestic talent, Jaipur is poised for a competitive season.
Kolkata ThunderBlades
- Adriana Diaz (Puerto Rico) – 19.3 Lakh tokens
- Aruna Quadri (Nigeria) – 11 Lakh tokens
- Ankur Bhattacharjee – 11.4 Lakh tokens (RTM)
- Selena Selvakumar – 3.9 Lakh tokens
- Ananya Chande – 2 Lakh tokens
- Deepit Patil – 2 Lakh tokens
Debutants in the league, Kolkata has made a statement with high-profile signings, aiming for immediate impact.
U Mumba TT
- Bernadette Szocs (Romania) – 15.3 Lakh tokens
- Lilian Bardet (France) – 11.1 Lakh tokens
- Yashaswini Ghorpade – 8.6 Lakh tokens
- Swastika Ghosh – 7 Lakh tokens
- Akash Pal – 4 Lakh tokens (RTM)
- Abhinandh PB – 2.1 Lakh tokens
Focusing on a blend of youth and experience, U Mumba TT aims to climb the ranks this season.
PBG Pune Jaguars
- Alvaro Robles (Spain) – 18.1 Lakh tokens
- Dina Meshref (Egypt) – 11 Lakh tokens
- Taneesha Kotecha – 4 Lakh tokens (RTM)
- Anirban Ghosh – 4 Lakh tokens
- Reeth Rishya – 4 Lakh tokens
- Mudit Dani – 2.2 Lakh tokens
With a strong international presence, Pune Jaguars are set to challenge the top contenders.
Tournament Format
- Duration: May 29 – June 15, 2025
- Venue: EKA Arena, Ahmedabad
- Teams: 8 franchises
- Structure: Each team plays five league matches; top four advance to semi-finals
- Match Composition: Each tie consists of five matches – two men’s singles, two women’s singles, and one mixed doubles
About Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT)
Launched in 2017, Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) is India’s premier franchise-based table tennis league, promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). The league continues to attract top athletes and coaches from India and around the world, boasting Olympic, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games medalists in its ranks.
UTT also promotes the sport through sponsoring national ranking tournaments, the Table Tennis Super League, and co-organising the WTT events in the country. With each edition, UTT strengthens its position as a global table tennis spectacle, elevating the sport’s stature and inspiring future generations.
