New Delhi [India], April 3: Former India No. 1 Jubin Kumar, German expert Chris Pfeiffer, who has trained celebrities like Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra, Dronacharya Awardee Raman Subramanian, and veteran trainers Pavel Rehorek and Julien Girard are all scheduled to make their Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) debuts in Season 6.

Teams are now allowed to choose their own coaches for the first time in the competition’s history. According to a UTT news release, returning coaches Elena Timina, Parag Agrawal, Subhajit Saha, Soumyadeep Roy, and Sachin Shetty will be joining them in hopes of winning their second UTT championship.

With a plethora of experience coaching India at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Subramanian, who now leads Season 2 winners Dabang Delhi TTC, will form a new coaching alliance with fellow rookie Girard. Since 2022, Pfeiffer, who is now leading the Ahmedabad SG Pipers, has been a significant figure in Indian table tennis, while Rehorek has more than thirty years of teaching experience. The list of new players is completed by Kumar, who is making his debut with the Kolkata ThunderBlades. To maintain consistency and experience, veteran coaches Timina, Shetty, and Vesna Ojstersek are returning for their sixth straight UTT season.

Promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India, the franchise-based competition will be held at the EKA Arena in Ahmedabada, the inaugural host city for the UTT, from May 29 to June 15.

“This season adds exciting new coaching talent to an already formidable roster, further strengthening the league’s rich pool of expertise,” the UTT co-promoters remarked in reference to the coaching lineup. Teams were permitted to choose their own personnel and speak with coaches directly for the first time, which gave them the opportunity to create setups that complemented their tactics. This additional authority will improve competitiveness and guarantee that players get excellent, customized sideline coaching.

In an attempt to capture a record-breaking third straight championship, the reigning champion Goa Challengers have rejoined Timina and Agrawal, the team that won Season 4. Along with Jay Modak, U Mumba TT has kept John Murphy as its foreign coach, while Ojstersek has joined former champion Saha at PBG Pune Jaguars.

While the previous champion Chennai Lions have chosen Roy and German trainer Jorg Bitzigeio, the debutants Kolkata ThunderBlades have chosen Swedish coach Tobias Bergman to accompany Kumar. The Ahmedabad SG Pipers will be led by Somnath Ghosh and Pfeiffer, while the Jaipur Patriots have teamed Shetty with Rehorek, who is the first-time UTT coach.

Coaches and Teams

Somnath Ghosh and Chris Pfeiffer (Germany) are Ahmedabad SG Pipers.

Pavel Rehorek (Czech Republic) and Sachin Shetty are Jaipur Patriots.

PBG Pune Jaguars: Vesna Ojstersek (Slovenia); Subhajit Saha

Goa opponents: Elena Timina (Netherlands) and Parag Agrawal

Dabang Delhi TTC: Julien Girard (France); Raman Subramanian

U Mumba TT: John Murphy (Ireland); Jay Modak

Tobias Bergman (Sweden) and Jubin Kumar are the Kolkata ThunderBlades.

Jorg Bitzigeio (Germany); Soumyadeep Roy, Chennai Lions.