Ultimate Table Tennis: a passion project in need of mainstream sizzle Premium

Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) aims to flourish as a franchise league in India with innovative sporting experiments and player retention.

Ever since the inception of the Indian Premier League, numerous franchise-based leagues have mushroomed in the Indian sporting ecosystem. However, only a select few, like the Indian Super League and the Pro Kabaddi League, have lasted even five editions.

In September, Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) — a brainchild of Vita Dani and Niraj Bajaj, two corporate giants with a personal interest in the sport — joined the rare list. UTT has stayed afloat on either side of the global pandemic primarily because of the co-promoters’ passion for the game.

In fact, with the addition of two teams for the fifth edition — which concluded in Chennai earlier this month — the promoters are gung-ho about UTT being a “flourishing product”. The business of the league is a story for another day, but let us explore the sporting aspect for now.

During a five-season essay over seven years, UTT has attempted an array of experiments — from changes in the format to the squad composition to the player pool — in a bid to make the action around the 9’x5’ table more interesting with every passing edition. 

The 2024 season was no different — the two new teams freshened things up. Athlead Goa Challengers — led by the dynamic Harmeet Desai — may have created history by becoming the first team to win multiple UTT titles — that too in successive editions — but the two new teams had contrasting debuts.

While Ahmedabad SG Pipers made it to the knockouts, Jaipur Patriots’ campaign was derailed even before the tournament began, with the diminutive Sreeja Akula being forced to pull out because of a stress fracture. S.F.R. Snehit’s knee injury made it even worse as the Patriots came close to being in contention for a spot in the Playoffs before fading away.

Ronald Redep, the Croatian coach of the Jaipur franchise, stressed on the need for a better player replacement policy. “They [UTT] tried roping in Archana [Kamath] but she told them she had retired, so there was no way we could have got a formidable Indian female paddler of the same stature, so there has to be a plan to ensure such events don’t rob a team,” Redep told The Hindu.