2025 UTT: Harmeet eyes home support, Sreeja hopes to repay faith, Manika withdraws – Preview

Ahmedabad: The 2025 Ultimate Table Tennis is all set to kick start on Saturday here at the EKA Arena with Dabang Delhi TTC taking on Jaipur Patriots in the opening game of the season.

The 2024 Paris Olympian and India's highest-ranked women's singles paddler, Sreeja Akula, will make her debut for the Patriots on the opening day.

The 26-year-old from Hyderabad was the first player signed during the player draft last season, but had to eventually pull out of the league due to an unfortunate groin stress fracture.

Though Akula has struggled since her return from a two-month injury lay-off, the Patriots chose to use their Right to Match and retain her in the first-ever UTT player auction last month.

"It's just taking me some time to get into the groove," said Sreeja to The Bridge on the sidelines of the pre-tournament press conference. "I'm working extensively on improving my fitness and strength.

"Technically also, I am trying to improve my backhand and aiming to be more consistent with it," she added.

Akula might have a stiff challenge in the very first match as she might be pitted against Dabang Delhi's Diya Chitale, who defeated her in the 2025 National Table Tennis Championships women's final in January.

Chitale, now one of the more prominent names in the Indian table tennis landscape, was a kid watching the action unfold from the stands in the inaugural edition of UTT back in 2017.

"Ever since the league started, I have been very excited about it, and always wanted to play in it. I got my chance in 2023, and it has been so exciting. Every year, I look forward to when it’s going to happen," said Chitale, who was India's standout performer at the 2025 ITTF World Championships in Doha earlier this month.

Chitale's women's doubles partner during her run into the Round of 16 at the World Championships, Yashashwini Ghorpade, will turn up for a new team in U Mumba.

Ghorpade, who made her UTT debut last season, was a part of the winning team Goa Challengers, in 2024.

The Goa Challengers will look to complete a hat-trick of titles in the league, having won both the editions since UTT's return after a three-year break owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Challengers will be led by Harmeet Desai, a local star from Gujarat. With the likes of Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar slated to miss the tournament with commitments elsewhere, Desai and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (Dabang Delhi) will be two Indian men's singles stars to keep an eye out for.

"This is the first time we are playing in Gujarat, that too in Ahmedabad, and I am delighted by it," said Desai.

"I am from Gujarat, I was born and brought up here, and so I hope to enjoy a lot of support," he chuckled.

Desai's expectations will be put to the test as the reigning champions, Goa Challenger, will face off against debutants and hosts Ahmedabad SG Pipers in the second match of the opening day.

The Ahmedabad SG Pipers will start the tournament as underdogs. They have been dealt a body blow even before the tournament began, with their star player and first recruit, Manika Batra, having pulled out with an injury.

They have roped in Ayhika Mukherjee, and the Asian Games doubles bronze medallist will have big shoes to fill in the Ricardo Walter-led side.

"Manika brings in a lot of experience. So when I heard the news, it was a bit sad for the team," Walter told this publication. "She was our first choice, but in the end, we have to manage it. Ayhika is playing for us now, and we are in good team spirit.

"Yes, we had this change with Manika, and may be now we are underdogs, but I think we can use it and try to beat the other teams," Walter added with a chuckle.

Format

The eight teams in contention have been divided into two groups of four teams each. Every team will face three teams in its group and two other teams from the opposite group.

Every tie will witness two men's singles, two women's singles, and a mixed doubles match. Every match will include three games.

Unlike the standard norms, the UTT will be a golden point. If players are level at 10-10 in a game, the one who wins the next point will pocket the game instead of the usual two-point advantage system.

The team that wins eight gameswinsn the tie.

2025 UTT Squads