Indian Athletes Gear Up for ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships in London

A strong Indian team, including Olympians Manika Batra and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, is set to compete in the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships in London. The tournament features separate competitions for men and women, with a total of 64 teams participating. The Indian men's team, led by Manav Thakkar, and the women's team, headed by Manika Batra, are ready to face tough opponents in their respective groups. The championships will run until May 10, 2026, promising thrilling matches and intense competition.

By Narendra Chaudhary Apr 28, 2026, 02:17 IST

Indian Contingent Set for World Championships

London [UK], April 27: A talented group of ten Indian players, including Olympians Manika Batra, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Manav Thakkar, and Harmeet Desai, are ready to compete in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Team Table Tennis Championships starting Tuesday in London.

The championship will feature distinct competitions for men and women, known as the Swaythling Cup and the Corbillon Cup, respectively. Each tie will consist of up to five singles matches, with the first team to secure three victories advancing to the next round, according to Olympics.com.

A total of 64 teams will participate, divided into four groups of 16 for both men's and women's events.

The top two seeded groups, which include the seven highest-ranked teams and the host nation, England, will begin in Stage 1a, while the remaining teams will compete in Stage 1b.

All eight teams from Stage 1a will progress to Stage 2, which will feature knockout rounds, although group matches will still be played to determine seedings. From Stage 1b, the 14 group winners and six best second-placed teams will qualify for Stage 2.

The eight second-placed teams will need to compete in additional preliminary matches to secure four more spots in the next stage.

The knockout phase will commence from the round of 32 and continue until the finals.

Leading the Indian men's team is world number 38 Manav Thakkar, who is placed in group seven of Stage 1b alongside Slovakia, Tunisia, and Guatemala. The women's team, spearheaded by world number 49 Manika Batra, will face off against Ukraine, Uganda, and Rwanda in Group 6 of Stage 1b.

Since its inception as a standalone event in 2000, the World Team Table Tennis Championships have seen China dominate the competition, with Sweden's men's victory in 2000 and Singapore's women's title in 2010 being the only exceptions.

The championships will run until May 10, 2026.

*World Table Tennis Championships 2026: Indian Squad

-Men's team: Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah, G Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai, Payas Jain

-Women's team: Manika Batra, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Syndrela Das.