Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], April 25 : After a successful season 1, the second season of Prime Table Tennis will be held on April 27-28, 2024.
Building on the foundation of the first season which focussed on players from Thane District Table Tennis Association, the second season will focus on top players from Maharashtra.
The second season will be held at the Olympic Sports Centre in Palava City and the league has already inked a 5-year MOU with the Maharashtra State Table Tennis Association, representing a significant leap towards popularizing the sport, making it more accessible and engaging to a broader audience, a release said.
Season 2 will feature eight teams, taking a total of 56 top-tier athletes with 7 players representing each team. The players were selected through a player auction which was held on November 5.
In the Marquee Men's category, Deepit Patil, Chinmaya Somaiya, and Siddhesh Pande were the top three buys, setting the stage for intense competition. The marquee women's category saw Shruti Amrute, Shreya Deshpande, and Samruddhi Kulkarni securing the highest bids, demonstrating the growing interest and investment in table tennis talent.
In addition to assembling formidable player lineups, each team has taken steps in appointing head coaches, assistant coaches, and managers, ensuring a well-rounded and comprehensive team structure.
Conceived by TTC PALAVA Club, the league's vision is to become the 'Pride of Bharat' in 2-3 years. With a steadfast vision for the future, Yatin Tipnis, Secretary of the Thane District Table Tennis Association and Secretary General of MSTTA, underscores the aim to propagate the game of table tennis across the entire state.
By providing coaching in underserved areas and organizing regional tournaments, the goal is to lay a robust foundation for budding players, nurturing growth and championing excellence.
"We're thrilled about the upcoming second season of Prime Table Tennis. We're confident that this season will surpass the first, especially with the inclusion of top players from Maharashtra. Brace yourselves for even more thrilling matches as audiences are in for a captivating showcase of skill and testament to the sport's prowess," Yatin Tipnis said as per the release by Maharashtra State Table Tennis Association.