BALLS OF FURY

India's Ultimate Table Tennis league is back after a hiatus of three years

- Suhani Singh

In 2019, Diya Chitale was a 16-year-old junior table tennis player who stood in the stands of Thyagaraj Sports Complex in New Delhi to cheer the participants competing in Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), India's premier league in the sport. Next year, she was looking forward to making her debut until a dreaded virus disrupted her dream. After a hiatus of three years, UTT is back (July 13-30), and Chitale, who was recently included in India's Asian Games squad, finally gets her shot at UTT playing for home team, U Mumba. The excitement in the 20-year-old paddler's voice is palpable. "It is a fun, fast and fan-friendly format. It is different from what we are used to playing," she says. "Every game matters and anything can happen. It's not like because you are a higher-ranked player you will win."