Experienced Indian players Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manika Batra have been retained for the upcoming Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 auction. The player roster includes standout Indian players like Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, and Diya Chitale. The UTT Season 7 will commence on July 9 and conclude on July 26 at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Goa.
The player pool for this season comprises a mix of established Indian names, emerging talent, and top international paddlers. Franchises will shape their squads at the auction scheduled for April 28 at Mumbai’s Sahara Star. Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah, currently ranked World No. 5 in men’s doubles, are returning to the auction pool after a year-long break due to international commitments.
Diya Chitale, the most expensive pick in the previous season’s auction, is also back in the pool. Sathiyan has been retained by Dabang Delhi TTC for a record seventh successive season. Manika Batra, who missed the last edition due to injury, has been retained by Ahmedabad APL Pipers. Teams have exercised their retention options, with Ankur Bhattacharjee and Akash Pal retained by Kolkata Thunderblades and U Mumba TT, respectively.
The upcoming season of the franchise-based league, promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), will witness teams building their rosters through the auction system. The auction will follow a structured format with revised base prices across four pools. Among the international players, Welsh paddler Anna Hursey and France’s Prithika Pavade are notable mentions.
The men’s field will see fresh international entrants like Adrien Rassenfosse, Eduard Ionescu, Nicholas Lum, and Youssef Abdelaziz. The Indian contingent includes rising stars like Divyanshi Bhowmick, who made history by winning gold in the U15 girls’ singles at the 2025 Asian Cadet Championships. With a mix of experienced players and emerging talent, the Butterfly UTT Season 7 auction promises strategic battles as teams aim to build competitive squads.
