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Hotstar & Star Sports select2 SD, HD to telecast Ultimate Table Tennis live
MUMBAI: Forty eight players have been shortlisted in the draft for selection for the franchises of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) containing an equal mix of Indian and foreign players. Each franchise had to pick four Indian and four foreign players from the draft. UTT, to be held in different Indian cities from 13 July, will be telecast live on Star Sports select2 SD HD and Hotstar.
The UTT will be hosted in Chennai (13 to 20 July) and New Delhi (21 to 26 July, with the final leg being held in Mumbai (27 to 30 July). It will have 18 matches divided into 15 leagues, two semis and one final with the price money of US$ 450,000.
The six franchises are: BaySide Spinners TTC (owned by owned by Sameer Koticha of ASK Group), Challengers (owned by Vivek Bhargava CEO DAN Performance Group), Dabang Smashers TTC (owned by Radha Kapoor Khanna of Dolt Sports), Maharashtra United (owned by Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan of Rajesh Wadhawan Group), Olimax Stag Yoddhas (owned by Kapil Garg and Vivek Kohli) and RP-SG Mavericks (owned by Sanjiv Goenka of RP-SG Group).
Unlike other major sporting leagues being run in the country like IPL and ISL, UTT will have club-based franchises rather than city-based franchises.
Starting with Round 1, BaySide Spinners TTC received the rights for the first pick and went all out to sign foreign player Wu Yang (Women, World No. 12) from China. Maharashtra United then took Wong Chun Ting (Men, World No.7) from Hong Kong. Challengers pulled a thriller and picked World no. 7 in the women’s category Han Ying from Germany before Dabang Smashers TTC had the next bid and picked Marcos Freitas (Men, 16) from Portugal. Dilmax Stag Yoddhas went for Doo Hoi Kem (Women, 13) from Hong Kong followed by RP-SG Maverics who picked Stefan Fegerl (Men, 21) form Austria.
Teams with their eight players including domestic and International players (with their rankings) are:
BaySide Spinners
Domestic: Sanil Shetty, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Arjun Ghosh and Priyadarshini Das.
International: Wu Yang (China, World no. 7), Ho Ching Lee (Hong Kong, 33), Par Gerell (Sweden, 44), Liam Pitchford (England, 51)
Challengers
Domestic: Soumyajit Ghosh, Mouma Das, Manav Thakkar, Moumita Datta.
International: Li Ping (Qatar, 48), Han Ying (Germany, 9), Petrissa Solja (Germany, 20), Andrej Gacina (Croatia, 38).
Dabang Smashers TTC
Domestic: Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, A Amalraj, Madhurika Patkar, Mousumi Paul
International: Marcos Freitas (Portugal, 16), Melek Hu (Turkey, 15), Kou Lei (Ukraine, 24), Bilenko Tetyana (Ukraine, 56).
Maharashtra United
Domestic: Harmeet Desai, Krittwika Sinha Roy, Pooja Sahasrabudhe Koparkar, Ronit Bhanja.
International: Chun Ting Wong (Hong Kong, 7), Liu Jia (Austria, 17), Fu Yu (Portugal, 35), Joao Moteira (Portugal, 49).
Oilmax Stag Yoddhas
Domestic: Manika Batra, Jubin Kumar, Abhishek Yadav, Selena D Selvakumar.
International: Hoi Kem Doo (Hong Kong, 13), Panagiotis Gionis (Greece, 36), Aruna Quadri (Nigeria, 37), Polina Mikhailova (Russia, 54).
RS-PG Mavericks
Domestic: Sharath Kamal Achanta, Archana Girish Kamath, Birdie Boro, Amruthapushpak Shekhar.
International: Fegerl Stefan (Austria, 21), Tiago Apolonia (Portugal, 19), Polcanova Sofia (Austria, 50) Sabina Winter (Germany, 39).
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
