Mr S M Vaidya, Chairman, IndianOil graced the final of IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) League, 2023 and the prize distribution ceremony which followed at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge-Balewadi in Pune on July 30, 2023. IndianOil had associated with India’s first international table tennis league as the title sponsor in its fourth edition organised from July 13 to 30, 2023. The UTT league, aimed at promoting and developing the sport of Table Tennis under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) was initiated with a mission to be a world class league that inspires the youth, entertains and engages fans, drives development at grassroots and delivers value to all stakeholders and a vision to earn an Olympic medal for India in Table Tennis. This edition of the league witnessed six franchises, viz Bengaluru Smashers, Goa Challengers, Dabang Delhi TTC, Puneri Paltan, U Mumba TT and Chennai Lions, with each team consisting of 8 players including leading Indian and overseas paddlers, competing for top honours.
After 18 days of intense action, Goa Challengers were crowned IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4 Champions when they prevailed over Chennai Lions 8-7 in a thrilling finale with Reeth Rishya Tennison clinching the crucial point for their maiden title. IndianOil had its presence in both the finalists in the form of TT Legend, A Sharath Kamal who represented Chennai and India’s Women TT Internationals, Reeth Rishya & Krittwika Sinha Roy who turned out for the Goa Franchise. Other top Indian players from IndianOil who participated in the tournament included Manika Batra (Bengaluru Smashers), Manav Thakkar & Sudhanshu Grover (U Mumba) and Archana Kamath (Puneri Paltan). Incidentally, Archana also won the DafaNews Shot of the League Award.
Mr Vaidya handed over the coveted IndianOil UTT Trophy to the winners, Goa Challengers along with former National Champion, Niraj Bajaj and Ms Vita Dani, promoters of the league in a glittering prize distribution ceremony. He also handed over the IndianOil Super Server of the League Award to Yangzi Liu, TT International from Australia. The Goa franchise took home Rs 75 lakhs along with the sparkling trophy whereas the runners-up Chennai were richer by Rs 50 lakhs for their brilliant performance.