Highlights from the Butterfly UTT Season 7 Auction: Key Players and Team Strategies

The Butterfly UTT Season 7 auction showcased significant player acquisitions, with UP Prometheans securing top talents like Manav Thakkar and Yangzi Liu. Reigning champion Bernadette Szocs became the highest-valued player, while Diya Chitale continued her rise as a leading Indian player. The league, featuring seven teams, will run from July 9 to 26 in Goa, promising exciting matches. Each team has crafted unique strategies, focusing on a mix of experienced and emerging players. This article delves into the auction highlights, team compositions, and the overall format of the upcoming season.

By Narendra Chaudhary Apr 29, 2026, 02:28 IST

Butterfly UTT Season 7 Auction Overview

The Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 auction took place on Tuesday, showcasing significant player acquisitions. The UP Prometheans made a notable impact by securing India's Manav Thakkar, a top doubles player, alongside two-time league MVP Yangzi Liu.

As per the auction results, reigning champion Bernadette Szocs was the most expensive player, valued at 40 L tokens, joining the Dempo Goa Challengers. Diya Chitale, for the second year in a row, was the highest-valued Indian player, moving to PBG Pune Jaguars for 37.4 L tokens. Her doubles partner, Manush Shah, was acquired by U Mumba TT for 37.2 L tokens, enhancing their roster with Akash Pal. Additionally, 15-year-old Divyanshi Bhowmick made history as the youngest player signed by a Butterfly UTT team, joining Dabang Delhi TTC, while 16-year-old Syndrela Das was picked by Dempo Goa Challengers.

The league, co-promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the Table Tennis Federation of India, is scheduled from July 9 to 26 at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Goa. Fans can catch the action live on JioHotstar and the Star Sports Network.

Mrs. Dani commented on the auction's success, stating, "The auction showcased the depth and quality that Butterfly UTT has developed over the years. It's encouraging to see teams investing in emerging Indian talent, reflecting a robust grassroots ecosystem that continues to elevate standards."

Team Strategies and Player Analysis

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League Format

Butterfly UTT Season 7 will feature seven teams competing in a single round-robin format, where each team will face every other team once. The top four teams will advance to the knockout stage.

Top Buys of Butterfly UTT Season 7

1. Bernadette Szocs (Romania) to Dempo Goa Challengers: 40 L tokens

2. Diya Chitale (India) to PBG Pune Jaguars: 37.4 L tokens

3. Manush Shah (India) to U Mumba TT: 37.2 L tokens

4. Manav Thakkar (India) to UP Prometheans: 36 L tokens

5. Yangzi Liu (Australia) to UP Prometheans: 32 L tokens.

Complete Squads for Butterfly UTT Season 7

Ahmedabad APL Pipers: Manika Batra, Adrien Rassenfosse (Belgium), Kavya Bhatt, Sanil Shetty, Sofia Polcanova (Austria), Payas Jain.

Dabang Delhi TTC: Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Divyanshi Bhowmick, Maria Xiao (Spain), Youssef Abdelaziz (Egypt), Raegan Albuquerque, Sutirtha Mukherjee.

Dempo Goa Challengers: Bernadette Szocs (Romania), Syndrela Das, Alvaro Robles (Spain), Divyansh Srivastava, Ananya Chande, Abhinandh PB.

Kolkata Thunder Blades: Ankur Bhattacharjee, Ayhika Mukherjee, Eduard Ionescu (Romania), Taneesha Kotecha, Zeng Jian (Singapore), Jeet Chandra.

PBG Pune Jaguars: Diya Chitale, Prithika Pavade (France), Snehit SFR, Mudit Dani, Omar Assar (Egypt), Sayanika Maji.

U Mumba TT: Manush Shah, Akash Pal, Lilian Bardet (France), Anna Hursey (Wales), Nityashree Mani, Anusha Kutumbale.

UP Prometheans: Manav Thakkar, Yangzi Liu (Australia), Ricardo Walther (Germany), Sayali Wani, Sudhanshu Grover, Swastika Ghosh.