UTT: Global stars Fan Siqi, Bernadette Szocs headline season 6 auction

Chinese paddler Fan Siqi, world no. 13 Bernadette Szocs, Olympians Aruna Quadri and Alvaro Robles, and several rising Indian paddlers led by junior world no. 6 Ankur Bhattacharjee, will headline the Ultimate Table Tennis Season 6 player auction, set to take place in Mumbai on Tuesday, 15 April.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

For the first time in UTT history, team rosters will be shaped through a unique player auction, giving franchises greater control over their recruitment and strategies.

Two-time UTT champion Harmeet Desai, Asiad medalist Manika Batra lead the Indian player pool.

Among the 56 players in the auction pool, youngsters Diya Chitale and Yashaswini Ghorpade - India's top-ranked women's singles players teenage sensation Syndrela Das and former U-17 world no. 1 Payas Jain lead a group of 25 rising Indian stars under 25, who have earned their spot alongside seasoned pros like two-time champion Harmeet Desai, former winners Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Manika Batra, Sutirtha Mukherjee, and WTT Contender Lagos 2024 winner Sreeja Akula. All eight teams have been allotted 50 lakh virtual tokens to bid on the players, along with a one-time Right to Match (RTM) card to retain a player from the previous season by matching the final bid price.