The Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), the top professional-level table tennis league in India, had its auction for the sixth season, in which it witnessed fierce bidding, surprise steals, and strategic squad-building.
Chennai Lions made the top buy with Fan Siqi for 19.7 lakh tokens, while Kolkata ThunderBlades signed Adriana Diaz for 19.3 lakhs as well as Quadri Aruna, and Pune Jaguars acquired Alvaro Robles for 18.1 lakh tokens. Defending champions Goa Challengers kept skipper Harmeet Desai for 14 lakh tokens (RTM) and recruited Zeng Jian and Tiago Apolonia. For the sixth consecutive season, Dabang Delhi TTC re-signed Sathiyan Gnanasekaran for 10 lakh tokens, and also got in Maria Xiao, and Quek Izaac.
U Mumba TT built a strong core with Bernadette Szocs for 15.3 lakhs tokens, along with Lilian Bardet, and Yashaswini Ghorpade, while Ahmedabad SG Pipers secured Manika Batra for 12 lakhs tokens and WTT Chennai quarterfinalist Snehit Suravajjula. Jaipur Patriots used their RTM on Sreeja Akula for 11 lakhs tokens and added Kanak Jha and Britt Eerland. Youngsters Ankur Bhattacharjee, Payas Jain, and Taneesha Kotecha were among key Indian signings.
UTT is quickly becoming a profitable platform for athletes and a strategic potential for businesses. Franchisees displayed more effective recruitment tactics, indicating a shift towards data-driven decision-making and long-term value development. The addition of international Olympians and rising domestic stars has increased UTT’s global appeal, providing sponsors and broadcasters with an engaging blend of skill and storytelling.
“We are really happy to have Akash Pal back with us. Lilian (Bardet), too, is a very exciting talent. When you look at what we’ve got on the female front, we have a stellar line up with two strong Indian players and Bernadette Szocs. We’ve also got Abhinandh with us, one of the top U-19 stars of Indian TT,” said U Mumba CEO, Suhail Chandhok.
“We’re thrilled to have Harmeet back with Goa Challengers, that was a priority going into the auction. The auction went well and we’ve built a balanced squad. Now it’s about defending the title and becoming the first team to win three consecutive titles,” said Vivek Bhargava, Owner, Goa Challengers.
“I believe, Sathiyan will be leading from the front and the new signings will learn a lot from him. They will understand the togetherness that the Dabang Delhi franchise brings, that will go a long way. Together we can culminate into a winning team,” said Dabang Delhi CEO, Prashant Mishra.
“The auction was a very immersive experience! It kept all the teams on their toes and there was a sense of excitement and anxiety! I thoroughly enjoyed the process,” said GS Ravi, Owner, Chennai Lions.
“We’re content with the team we’ve got. We are happy to get Alvaro back, who played exceptionally well. With RTM we’re happy to get Taneesha back into the team as well as Dina, Reeth, Mudit, and Anirban,” said Pune Jaguars’ owner, Punit Balan.
“I’m thrilled with the players we’ve secured, especially with the acquisition of Manika Batra, who is the face of Indian Table Tennis. This is a well-balanced team with the firepower and strategy to compete at the highest level. We are confident of winning the IndianOil UTT trophy on home turf!” said Rohan Gupta, owner, Ahmedabad SG Pipers.
“We are gunning for glory and couldn’t have asked for a better team. Last time we had Sreeja but her injury was unfortunate however this time she is back home and we are looking forward to each and every one showcasing their best on field,” said Parina Parekh, World of Krida, Owner of Jaipur Patriots.
“We went into the auction targeting Adriana, Aruna, Ankur, Selena (Selvakumar), and others — and we’ve ended up with exactly the team we wanted,” said Kolkata ThunderBlades’ Director, Anshul Garg.
On the auction, Vita Dani said, “The auction has added a new layer of depth to how teams approach building their squads. It was encouraging to see equal attention given to experienced international players and young Indian talent. That balance reflects how IndianOil UTT has impacted the Indian table tennis ecosystem over the years. We’re excited for what Season 6 holds and the level of competition it promises.”
