Gaming
WTT Star Contender Goa 2024 tickets now available on BookMyShow
Mumbai: International table tennis carnival with the WTT Star Contender Goa 2024, On BookMyShow to watch at close quarters as ticket sales have begun.
The second edition of international table tennis tournament is scheduled at the Peddem Indoor Stadium in Mapusa, Goa from 23 to 28 January with top global stars including the World No. 5 Hugo Calderano, the last edition’s runner-up Cheng I-Ching (WR 18) and former World No. 1 and two-time Olympics bronze medallist Dimitrij Ovtcharov (WR 12) headlining the highly competitive field along with 14 other Top-20 paddlers.
The tickets are available at:
The tournament will be co-hosted by Stupa Sports Analytics and Ultimate Table Tennis under the guidance of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).
“We are excited to launch ticket sales for WTT Star Contender Goa 2024, the epitome of international tournaments. This presents a significant opportunity for Indian fans to rally behind their athletes, providing crucial motivation as they prepare for the upcoming Olympics. With the best athletes from across the globe competing, the tournament promises an exciting show and we look forward to welcoming fans from every corner of the country and world to join us in celebrating the magic of table tennis on the grandest stage,” commented Stupa Sports Analytics tournament director and co-founder & COO Deepak Malik.
Ace paddlers Manika Batra, Achanta Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran are set to lead the home challenge as a record 41 Indians will be in action.
Tickets are now on sale across five categories—Stand Topspin & Block, Stand Serve & Receive, Stand Push & Flick, VIP, and Premium Lounge. Prices for the qualifying rounds start at Rs 349, reaching up to Rs 1,499 per session. For the main draw matches, including the semi-finals and finals, ticket prices vary from Rs 599 to Rs 4,999 per session. VIP and Premium Lounge tickets have been designed to offer passionate fans an enhanced stadium experience, complete with a complimentary snack.
Fans can also buy a full event pass, starting from Rs 4,399, which will allow them to enjoy the thrilling action on all six days.
The qualifying rounds will be played on 23 and 24 January whereas the semi-finals and finals are scheduled on 27 and 28 January respectively.
Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
