UTT coaches draft: Teams select one Indian and one foreign coach, four Indian coaches to make UTT debuts

The eight franchisees of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) selected their coaches in the coaches draft that was held. The eight franchises selected one Indian and one foreign coach, ahead of the new season that is scheduled to commence in Chennai on August 22.

The UTT season has now expanded to eight teams, from the usual six, with the addition of teams from Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

Bengaluru Smashers will be coached by Elena Timina from the Netherlands, a four-time Olympian who led Goa Challengers to victory last season and Anshuman Roy.

Ahmedabad SG Pipers, one of the two new teams, will have the experienced Francisco Santos, marking his fifth UTT participation, along with Jay Modak as their coaches.

Both Modak and Roy are making their UTT debut this season, along with Subhajit Saha (Goa Challengers) and Subin Kumar (Chennai Lions).

Dabang Delhi TTC will have Sachin Shetty and Vesna Ojstersek (Slovenia) in the helm while Jaipur Patriots will be coached by Somnath Ghosh and Croatia’s Ronald Redep. This will be the second time the Delhi franchise have gone for the successful combination of Shetty and Ojstersek. The pair led Delhi to a runners-up finish in 2019.

U Mumba have picked John Murphy, the current England team head coach, while retaining Anshul Garg in the coaches draft. Goa Challengers selected Hungarian women’s team coach Zoltan Bartofi, and Chennai Lions will be guided by Tobias Bergman, head coach of the Swedish National team, who will be making his UTT debut.

The franchise-based league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, who is the co-owner of Indian Super League club Chennaiyin FC. The league is recognised and is played under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).

The eight teams will be divided into two groups of four teams each. Each team will play five ties against other teams within their group, facing each franchise once, and two randomly selected teams from the second group, which will be determined through a draw.

Goa Challengers are the defending champions of the UTT after beating former champions Chennai Lions in the final of the 2023 edition.

Each team will continue to have six players, including two foreign players.

Teams and coaches:

Bengaluru Smashers: Elena Timina (the Netherlands) and Anshuman Roy

Ahmedabad SG Pipers: Francisco Santos (Portugal) and Jay Modak

Dabang Delhi TTC: Sachin Shetty and Vesna Ojstersek (Slovenia)

U Mumba TT: John Murphy (Ireland) and Anshul Garg

Goa Challengers: Zoltan Batorfi (Hungary) and Subhajit Saha

Puneri Paltan: Jorg Bitzigeio (Germany) and Parag Agarwal

Jaipur Patriots: Somnath Ghosh and Ronald Redep (Croatia)

Chennai Lions: Tobias Bergman (Sweden) and Subin Kumar