Ahmedabad SG Pipers enters Ultimate Table Tennis as eighth team

Ultimate Table Tennis has added an eighth team to their roster with Ahmedabad SG Pipers joining the league on Friday.

Owned by SG Sports and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd- The Sports arm of APL Apollo Group, Ahmedabad became the second new team to join UTT after Jaipur Patriots joined as the seventh team last year.

The franchise-based league, promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has six teams-Bengaluru Smashers, Chennai Lions, Dabang Delhi TTC, Goa Challengers, Puneri Paltan Table Tennis and U Mumba TT and will be gearing for the fifth season later this year.

“We are delighted to welcome SGSE and the APL Apollo Group to the UTT family. The success of Indian table tennis stars on the international circuit and the popularity of UTT among players and fans has only made the league stronger over the years. UTT is committed to promoting the game of table tennis and this expansion marks an exciting chapter in the league’s growth as it will help us spread the game to a new region,” UTT co-promoters Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani said in a joint comment.

With multiple Grand Slam champion Mahesh Bhupathi as their CEO, SGSE focuses on supporting and nurturing sporting talent in the country. The company has already been part of the chess and tennis league, and will now look to contribute to the growth of Indian table tennis with their association with UTT.

“Ultimate Table Tennis is the premier table tennis competition in the nation and they can showcase both homegrown and international talent at the elite level. We at SGSE are excited that we have the opportunity to participate in the growth of the sport. I am sure the presence of our team - Ahmedabad will make the upcoming edition of the league more competitive and entertaining,” said CEO, SGSE Mahesh Bhupathi.

Ultimate Table Tennis houses the top Indian paddlers such as Sharath Kamal, Manika Batra, Sreeja Akula, and Harmeet Desai, and foreign stars such as Lily Zhang, Omar Assar, and Benedikt Duda.