Mumbai

The second season of Prime Table Tennis is scheduled for April 27-28, 2024, following a successful first season. Unlike the inaugural season, which featured players from the Thane District Table Tennis Association, the focus of the second season will shift to top players from Maharashtra.

The Olympic Sports Centre in Palava City will host the second season, with the league having signed a 5-year MOU with the Maharashtra State Table Tennis Association to promote the sport. The agreement aims to increase its popularity and accessibility to a wider audience.

Season 2 will consist of eight teams, comprising a total of 56 elite athletes, with each team fielding 7 players. These players were selected through a player auction held on November 5.

In the Marquee Men’s category, Deepit Patil, Chinmaya Somaiya, and Siddhesh Pande emerged as the top three buys, indicating fierce competition ahead. Similarly, Shruti Amrute, Shreya Deshpande, and Samruddhi Kulkarni commanded the highest bids in the marquee women’s category, reflecting the growing interest and investment in table tennis talent.

Furthermore, each team has appointed head coaches, assistant coaches, and managers to ensure a well-structured team.

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Conceived by TTC PALAVA Club, the league aspires to become the ‘Pride of Bharat’ within 2-3 years. Yatin Tipnis, Secretary of the Thane District Table Tennis Association and Secretary General of MSTTA, emphasizes the goal of promoting table tennis throughout the entire state.