Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India] June 11 : U Mumba TT will have their sights set on a semi-final berth when they take on playoffs-bound Dabang Delhi TTC in the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 6 on Thursday. There is a lot on the line for Delhi, too, who are aiming to become the first team in history to pass through the league stage unbeaten.
U Mumba sit fifth on the table with 32 points; their playoff chances rest not just on a win, but also on the outcome of the Jaipur Patriots vs PBG Pune Jaguars tie. Five games might be enough, but nothing less than a fight will do for the team from Mumbai.
They come in buoyed by a gritty win over Stanley's Chennai Lions, with Bernadette Szocs, Lilian Bardet, and Yashaswini Ghorpade all in strong form. Szocs and Bardet have each won three of their four matches, while Yashaswini--who beat China's Fan Siqi in her previous outing--has won two of three.
The Szocs-Akash Pal pairing has been a revelation, winning three straight in mixed doubles. Though Akash is yet to win a singles match, his doubles presence remains key. Bardet and Szocs rank among the league's top forehand shot-makers, while Yashaswini has been a backhand machine.
Dabang Delhi, meanwhile, have already locked in their playoff berth, but a win here would etch their names in UTT history. They've been consistently clinical: Diya Chitale, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Maria Xiao, and Izaac Quek have all won at least two matches each, delivering consistent returns.
The Dabang Delhi pairing of Sathiyan and Maria remains undefeated in mixed doubles (4/4), a rare edge in high-stakes ties. With Izaac and Sathiyan both among the top five in backhand winners, Delhi will be looking to bring precision and power to close out the league stage on a high-and carry the momentum into the semis.
Squads:
U Mumba TT: Bernadette Szocs (Romania), Lilian Bardet (France), Yashaswini Ghorpade, Swastika Ghosh, Akash Pal, Abhinandh PB
Dabang Delhi TTC: Diya Chitale, Maria Xiao (Spain), Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Quek Izaac (Singapore), Suhana Saini, Sourav Saha.