Mavericks pick Manika batra for UTT

Mumbai: Ace paddler Sharath Kamal will play for the Chennai Lions in the third season of the Ultimate Tennis League, which will be held in New Delhi from July 25.

Kamal, a nine-time national champion, was picked by the Chennai team, a new entrant in the league, during the players draft held here Thursday.

The two other new teams in the league are U Mumba TT and Puneri Paltan Table Tennis. In a video message, Kamal said that he will try and give his best in the tournament. Another top paddler Manika Batra was chosen by RP-SG Mavericks Kolkata, who also in the end opted for Sanil Shetty.

The Dabang Delhi TTC decided to retain Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and hence the franchise did not get a chance to pick a player in the first round of the draft. The 25-year-old Sathiyan, who became the first Indian player to break into the top-25, also in a video message expressed happiness over the move. Among other notable picks was young sensation Manush Shah, who will pay for RP-SG Mavericks Kolkata. Vadodara-born Shah is currently ranked 11th in Under-18 boys' category. Each of the franchise had to pick six players.

Among the notable foreign players was Hong Kong player Doo Hoi Kem, who was picked up by U Mumba TT. German player Petrissa Solja will play for Chennai Lions along with Portuguese player Tiago Apolonia.