Chennai: Hope is in the air as table tennis enters a brave new era of professionalism with a franchise-based tournament getting under way here on Thursday. There is palpable excitement among paddlers about the Ultimate Table Tennis league, which they believe will drag their sport out of obscurity in India. Everyone concerned with TT will be hoping that it’s not a false dawn.
For the first time, table tennis will attempt to become a TV sport as UTT will be telecast on various platforms __ Star Sports Select 2 HD, Star Sports Select 2, Hotstar and JioTV. UTT’s success will depend on its ability to catch eyeballs because table tennis has never been a spectator sport in India. The new league will also be hoping to lure youngsters into TT’s fold.
A match-up between Mavericks and Falcons at the Nehru Stadium here will set the ball rolling in the ambitious league. It would only be fitting that Achanta Sharath Kamal, a local hero and India’s top-ranked player, will spearhead Mavericks’ challenge. Wu Yang, world no.13 and the only player from mainland China, will headline Falcons’ line-up. Five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand will inaugurate the league. Action Today: Falcons vs Mavericks (Star Sports Select 2 & HD 2) 7.30pm
