New Delhi, April 25 (IANS) Experienced Indian paddlers Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manika Batra have been retained ahead of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 auction, with Indian standout players Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, and Diya Chitale returning to the player roster.

UTT Auction: Sathiyan, Manika retained; Manav, Manush, Diya return to pool

New Delhi, April 25 (IANS) Experienced Indian paddlers Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manika Batra have been retained ahead of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 auction, with Indian standout players Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, and Diya Chitale returing to player roster

The seventh edition of the UTT kicks off on July 9 and runs through July 26 at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Goa.

The player pool for the upcoming season features a strong mix of established Indian names, emerging talent, and top international paddlers, with franchises set to shape their squads at the auction, scheduled for April 28 at Mumbai’s Sahara Star.

Thakkar and Shah return to the auction pool after a year-long hiatus due to international commitments, with the duo currently ranked World No. 5 in men’s doubles and a regular presence on the international circuit. Shah also pairs with Chitale in mixed doubles, with the duo ranked World No. 6 and having created history as the first Indians to qualify for the WTT Finals.

Chitale, the most expensive pick in last season’s auction, returns to the pool after Dabang Delhi TTC opted to retain Sathiyan, extending his association with the franchise into a record seventh successive season. Batra, meanwhile, returns to the league after missing the previous edition due to injury, having been retained by Ahmedabad APL Pipers.

Ahead of the auction, teams have also exercised their retention options. Alongside Batra and Gnanasekaran, Ankur Bhattacharjee and doubles specialist Akash Pal were retained by Kolkata Thunderblades and U Mumba TT, respectively. Dempo Goa Challengers and PBG Pune Jaguars opted against using their retention and will start the auction with a full purse alongside newly inducted UP Prometheans.

The franchise-based league, promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), will once again see teams build their rosters through the auction system, with each franchise allocated a purse of 1 crore tokens.

Commenting on the player pool, UTT Co-Promoter Niraj Bajaj said: “It’s exciting to see such a strong and diverse player pool for Season 7. The return of top Indian players like Manav, Manush, and Manika, combined with a competitive international field, reflects the growing depth and quality of table tennis associated with Butterfly UTT. The mix of experienced names and emerging talent will make for a highly competitive auction and an exciting season ahead.”

The auction will follow a structured format with revised base prices across four pools—20 lakhs, 12 lakhs, 7 lakhs, and 3 lakhs tokens—with bidding increments set at 20,000 tokens.

Among the international names, Welsh paddler Anna Hursey could become the first player from her country to feature in Butterfly UTT if picked, while France’s Prithika Pavade adds further depth to the women’s pool.

The men’s field sees fresh international entrants, including Adrien Rassenfosse, Eduard Ionescu, Nicholas Lum, and Youssef Abdelaziz. Returning names include Bernadette Szocs, Quadri Aruna, Alvaro Robles, and Yangzi Liu, bringing a blend of experience and global pedigree to the auction.

The Indian contingent also features rising stars, headlined by prodigy Divyanshi Bhowmick, who enters the auction pool for the first time. Bhowmick made history by winning gold in the U15 girls’ singles at the 2025 Asian Cadet Championships, the first Indian to do so in 36 years—and followed it up with a bronze medal at the 2025 World Youth Championships.

With a balanced mix of proven performers and next-generation talent across categories, the Butterfly UTT Season 7 auction promises strategic battles as teams look to assemble well-rounded squads for the upcoming edition.

–IANS

vi/bc