PANAJI
Goa is once again ready to welcome world-class table tennis. After making history by hosting India's first-ever WTT event in 2023, the state now gears up for another marquee competition as Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 powered by ChatGPT commences at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium from July 9 to 26.
Representing the home fans, Dempo Goa Challengers enter Season 7 as the league's only two-time champions, having lifted the trophy in 2023 and 2024.
The Indian contingent features promising youngsters, including Syndrela Das, World No. 1 in U-17 girls' doubles and 2026 Asian Games representative; P.B. Abhinandh, U-19 mixed doubles champion at the WTT Youth Contender Doha 2026; Divyansh Srivastava, one of India's emerging men's paddlers; and Ananya Chande, a triple gold medallist at the 2025 Asian Youth Table Tennis Championships.
Leading the overseas challenge will be Romanian star Bernadette Szocs, the highest-valued signing at the Butterfly UTT Season 7 auction, alongside two-time Olympian Alvaro Robles of Spain. One of the league's most consistent overseas performers, Szocs returns for her fifth season, having featured in 53 matches across women's singles and mixed doubles.
Butterfly UTT Season 7 will feature seven teams - Dempo Goa Challengers, U Mumba TT, Dabang Delhi T.T.C., PBG Pune Jaguars, HVR Kolkata ThunderBlades, Ahmedabad APL Pipers and UP Prometheans competing in a single round-robin league. The top four teams will qualify for the semifinals, with the winners advancing to the final. The champions will receive ₹60 lakh in prize money, while the runners-up will earn ₹40 lakh and the remaining semifinalists will receive ₹17.5 lakh each.
