After a successful Season 1, the second season of Prime Table Tennis (PTT) will be held on January 6 and 7, 2024. The first season focused on players from the Thane District Table Tennis Association, but the second season is expected to be bigger and better, according to a press release from Prime Table Tennis.
The league has already signed a 5-year MOU with the Maharashtra State Table Tennis Association, representing a significant step towards popularizing the sport and making it more accessible and engaging to a broader audience, as per the press release.
Season 2 will feature 8 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 5th November 2023.
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 equally remarkable acquisitions, with 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 meticulous steps in appointing head coaches, assistant coaches, and managers, ensuring a well-rounded and comprehensive team structure.
The league’s vision is to become the ‘Pride of Bharat’ in the next 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.
