Exciting Player Acquisitions Highlight Butterfly UTT Season 7 Auction

Major Moves in the Butterfly UTT Season 7 Auction

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 29: The UP Prometheans made a significant impact during the Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 auction, securing India's top doubles player Manav Thakkar and two-time league MVP Yangzi Liu.

As per the announcement, reigning champion Bernadette Szocs was the most expensive player, valued at 40 L tokens, joining the Dempo Goa Challengers, while Diya Chitale was the highest-priced Indian player for the second year in a row, moving to PBG Pune Jaguars for 37.4 L tokens.

Chitale's doubles partner, Manush Shah, was acquired by U Mumba TT for 37.2 L tokens, enhancing their roster alongside the retained Akash Pal. Fifteen-year-old Divyanshi Bhowmick made history as the youngest player ever signed by a Butterfly UTT team, joining Sathiyan Gnanasekaran's Dabang Delhi TTC, while 16-year-old Syndrela Das was picked up by Dempo Goa Challengers.

This franchise-based league, co-promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the Table Tennis Federation of India, is set to take place 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, stating, “The auction showcased the depth and quality that Butterfly UTT has developed over the years. It was heartening to see teams invest in emerging Indian talents as a core part of their strategy, reflecting the strength of a grassroots ecosystem that continues to elevate the sport.”

U Mumba TT, the reigning champions, initially held back but made strategic moves to acquire Manush Shah, reuniting him with Lilian Bardet and adding Wales' Anna Hursey to their squad. CEO Suhail Chandhok remarked, “Manush is one of the most thrilling talents in table tennis today—a left-handed player who strengthens both singles and doubles. Anna Hursey is another exciting addition making her Butterfly UTT debut.”

PBG Pune Jaguars, having opted not to retain any players, made a bold move for Chitale, pairing her with experienced players Snehit SFR and France's Prithika Pavade. Team owner Punit Balan expressed, “Diya is already among the world's best players, and we’re excited to have her as a key part of our plans. We focused on building a strong, cohesive unit around her.”

Dempo Goa Challengers, two-time champions, focused on experience for their foreign spots, bringing back Spaniard Alvaro Robles, a regular in Butterfly UTT, while filling their Indian spots with promising young talents.

Team owner Shrinivas Dempo stated, “Having proven performers like Bernadette and Alvaro gives us top-level experience, while young Indian players like Syndrela and Abhinandh PB add energy and potential. We’re thrilled about this combination.”

Dabang Delhi TTC, the Season 2 champions, re-signed Maria Xiao, rekindling a strong doubles partnership with Sathiyan. They also added Bhowmick, Asian Games medalist Sutirtha Mukherjee, Youssef Abdelaziz, and Raegan Albuquerque to their lineup.

CEO Prashant Mishra of Dabang Delhi TT analyzed his team, saying, “We were eager to bring Maria back. We’re also excited to have Divyanshi, the youngest player in Butterfly UTT, in our squad. Under Sathiyan’s guidance, we believe she will evolve into a top player.”

UP Prometheans' auction strategy included German ace Ricardo Walther, Sudhanshu Grover, and young talents Swastika Ghosh and Sayali Wani, complementing Thakkar and Liu. Coach Chris Pfeiffer expressed his satisfaction, stating, “I’m thrilled to be part of this auction again, and we’ve assembled a solid team. I’m especially happy that Manav, my former student, is on board.”

Joining the auction, Kolkata Thunder Blades retained rising star Ankur Bhattacharjee, who contributed valuable insights as the team built a well-rounded squad featuring Ayhika Mukherjee, Eduard Ionescu, Taneesha Kotecha, Jeet Chandra, and Zeng Jian.

Ankur noted, “Eduard is a strong mixed doubles player. I feel comfortable playing with both Ayhika and Taneesha, and I shared my suggestions with the team.”

Ahmedabad APL Pipers made a significant move before the auction by retaining Indian star Manika Batra. Team owner Rohan Gupta stated, “Our squad was built around Manika from the moment we decided to keep her. The insights from our coaches, along with Manika, were crucial in shaping the team.”

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

Butterfly UTT Season 7 – Top Buys

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.

Butterfly UTT Season 7 – Full Squads

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.