Sathiyan, Manika retained for UTT Season 7; auction on April 28
Leading Indians Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah and Diya Chitale headline the player pool for Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7, while stalwarts Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manika Batra were retained by their respective franchises ahead of next week’s auction.
The seventh edition of the franchise-based league will be held from July 9 to 26 at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Goa.
The auction is scheduled for April 28 in Mumbai, where teams will assemble squads from a diverse pool featuring established Indian names, emerging talent, and top international players.
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.
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 the newly inducted UP Prometheans.
All teams of the franchise-based league have been allocated a purse of 1 crore tokens.
“It’s exciting to see such a strong and diverse player pool for Season 7,” UTT Co-Promoter Niraj Bajaj said in a release.
“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 the league 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 star 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.
It will be live broadcast on the Star Sports network and streaming on JioHotstar.
