Goa gears up for Butterfly UTT Season 7 as hosts Dempo Goa Challengers take on defending champions U Mumba TT in opening derby –

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Diya Chitale and Manav Thakkar say the competition provides the ideal test ahead of the Asian Games as Butterfly UTT returns with global stars, India’s brightest talents

Divyanshi Bhowmick of Dabang Delhi TTC, Diya Chitale of PBG Pune Jaguars, Manush Shah of U Mumba TT, Bernadette Szocs of Dempo Goa Challengers, Manav Thakkar of UP Prometheans, Sofia Polcanova of Ahmedabad APL Pipers, Jeet Chandra of Kolkata ThunderBlades pose for the photo with the trophy after the press conference ahead of the Ultimate Table Tennis 2026 held at ITC Grand Goa, on July 8, 2026.
Photo: UTT.

Rakesh Thapliyal

Goa: India’s biggest table tennis stars and some of the world’s best rowers will set Goa on fire as Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7, powered by ChatGPT, kicks off on Thursday, July 9. The season starts with a blockbuster western derby in the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, where hosts and two-time champions Dempo Goa Challengers will take on reigning champions U Mumba TT. Over the next 18 days, seven franchises will battle it out for the coveted title, with the grand finale scheduled for July 26.

Leading the way in the home challenge is reigning MVP Bernadette Szocs – and one of Butterfly UTT’s most consistent players – who arrives in Goa having led U Mumba TT to the title last season before switching to Dempo Goa Challengers at this year’s auction.

“I’m always very happy to return to UTT every year. The competition keeps growing every season and every year it gets even better. It’s a great feeling to be part of it. Last season winning the title was something truly amazing, a feeling that I can’t really describe in words. I’m very happy to be back and be part of this competition again,” Szocs said at a press conference on Wednesday.

This year’s Butterfly UTT has added significance for the Indian contingent as it concludes just days before the national team heads to the Asian Games in Japan and offers valuable high-pressure practice matches against world-class opponents ahead of one of the biggest international assignments of the year.

Commenting on this, PBG Pune Jaguars star Diya Chitale said: “Every season I learn something new (at Butterfly UTT). The competition also brings a different kind of pressure. When it’s 6-6, and you know those last four or five points can decide the outcome, it’s a situation we don’t often see elsewhere. Playing in those moments has really helped me develop as a player, and I think it’s excellent preparation for the Asian Games.”

Organized under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) and promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani, Butterfly UTT continues to strengthen Indian table tennis through elite competition and year-round development initiatives. Season 7 features 42 players from around the world, including 14 Olympians.

One of the biggest storylines this season is the arrival of world number 3 men’s doubles Manush Shah at reigning champions U Mumba TT, where the Indian star will lead the title defense.

“It’s a special moment for me to be part of such a wonderful franchise (U Mumba TT). The transition between playing alongside and against your regular partners can be difficult at times, but there is always lots of friendly banter between teammates and fellow Indian players. I’m looking forward to a great season and hope U Mumba TT can successfully defend the title,” said Manush.

One of the most anticipated matches of the season could come when Shah faces his regular men’s doubles partner Manav Thakkar, who will represent UP Prometheans in Season 7.

Saying the same, Thakkar said, “Manush and I have done very well in doubles, and we are currently ranked third in the world, so it will definitely be difficult to meet him. We are both growing as players, and with the Asian Games coming up this year, we are preparing hard. Hopefully, this week will help us build momentum and we can win a medal for the country.”

Butterfly UTT has continued to nurture India’s next generation of talent, with Dream UTT Juniors – which will run in parallel again this year – strengthening that path. Last year’s Girls MVP, 15-year-old Divyanshi Bhowmick, became the youngest player in Butterfly UTT history after being drafted by Dabang Delhi TTC.

“I am very happy to have been selected for UTT and to be part of such a great team alongside so many top senior players. I have been practicing with them over the last two days, and it has been a great honor and also a great learning experience,” she said.

Season 7 also marks the return of Austrian Olympian Sofia Polcanova after Season 2, who revealed she has been keeping a close eye on the competition, including watching her international doubles partner Bernadette Szocs take last season’s title.

“I followed the competition on Instagram last season and saw how much it has grown. Bernadette (Szocs) and her team won the title and it was great to watch. The competition has attracted a lot more attention over the years and continues to grow. It’s really nice to be back, and everyone has been so friendly and welcoming,” the Ahmedabad APL Pipers player said.

Butterfly UTT is also introducing the AI-powered Table Tennis Review (TTR) system this season, becoming one of the few leagues in the world to adopt video review technology. Developed by Gurugram-based Stupa Sports, the league’s official technology partner, the system assesses contested decisions in less than 20 seconds.

Speaking about the same, Jeet Chandra of Kolkata ThunderBlades said, “This season we are introducing the TTR system and I think it will be exciting for the fans. Each team will have three TTR reviews during a tie, so it will be something new for the Indian audience to experience. I am looking forward to seeing how it turns out.”

In Butterfly UTT Season 7, seven teams compete in a single round-robin format, with each team facing every other team once in the competition phase. The top four teams advance to the knockout phase. All matches will be live on Star Sports Khel (Hindi), Star Sports Tamil 2 HD and Star Sports Tamil 3 HD, and streamed live on JioHotstar (Hindi, Tamil and English).

Butterfly UTT season 7 schedule

July 9, 2026 7:30 PM Dempo Goa Challengers vs U Mumba TT

July 10, 2026 5:00 PM Dabang Delhi TTC vs UP Prometheans

July 10, 2026 7:30 PM Kolkata ThunderBlades vs PBG Pune Jaguars

July 11, 2026 5:00 PM Dabang Delhi TTC vs Kolkata ThunderBlades

July 11, 2026 7:30 PM Ahmedabad APL Pipers vs U Mumba TT

July 12, 2026 5:00 PM UP Prometheans vs PBG Pune Jaguars

July 12, 2026 7:30 PM Ahmedabad APL Pipers vs Dempo Goa Challengers

July 13, 2026 7:30 PM Dempo Goa Challengers vs Kolkata ThunderBlades

July 14, 2026 7:30 PM Ahmedabad APL Pipers vs UP Prometheans

July 15, 2026 7:30 PM Dabang Delhi TTC vs U Mumba TT

July 16, 2026 7:30 PM U Mumba TT vs PBG Pune Jaguars

July 17, 2026 5:00 PM Ahmedabad APL Pipers vs Kolkata ThunderBlades

July 17, 2026 7:30 PM Dabang Delhi TTC vs Dempo Goa Challengers

July 18, 2026 5:00 PM Ahmedabad APL Pipers vs PBG Pune Jaguars

July 18, 2026 7:30 PM UP Prometheans vs U Mumba TT

July 19, 2026 5:00 PM Dempo Goa Challengers vs PBG Pune Jaguars

July 19, 2026 7:30 PM Kolkata ThunderBlades vs UP Prometheans

July 20, 2026 7:30 PM Ahmedabad APL Pipers vs Dabang Delhi TTC

July 21, 2026 7:30 PM Kolkata ThunderBlades vs U Mumba TT

July 22, 2026 7:30 PM Dempo Goa Challengers vs UP Prometheans

July 23, 2026 7:30 PM Dabang Delhi TTC vs PBG Pune Jaguars

July 24, 2026 7:30 PM 1st place vs. 4th place

July 25, 2026 7:30 PM 2nd place vs. 3rd place

July 26, 2026 7:30 PM Semi-final 1 winner versus semi-final 2 winner

Butterfly UTT season 7 teams

Ahmedabad APL pipers: Manika Batra, Adrien Rassenfosse (Belgium), Kavya Bhatt, Sanil Shetty, Sofia Polcanova (Austria), Clown Jain

Dabang Delhi TTC: Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Divyanshi Bhowmick, Maria Xiao (Spain), Youssef Abdelaziz (Egypt), Raegan Albuquerque, Sutirtha Mukherjee.

Dempo Goa Challengers: Bernadette Szocs (Romania), Syndrela Das, Alvaro Robles (Spain), Divyansh Srivastava, Ananya Chande, Abhinandh PB

HVR Kolkata thunder blades: Ankur Bhattacharjee, Ayhika Mukherjee, Eduard Ionescu (Romania), Taneesha Kotecha, Zeng Jian (Singapore), Jeet Chandra

PBG Pune Jaguars: Diya Chitale, Prithika Pavade (France), Snehit SFR, Mudit Dani, Omar Assar (Egypt), Sayanika Maji

The TT family: Manush Shah, Akash Pal, Lilian Bardet (France), Anna Hursey (Wales), Nityashree Mani, Anusha Kutumbale

UP Prometheans: Manav Thakkar, Yangzi Liu (Australia), Ricardo Walther (Germany), Sayali Wani, Sudhanshu Grover, Swastika Ghosh

About Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT)

Launched in 2017, Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) is India’s premier franchise-based table tennis league, promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). Over the years, UTT has established itself as one of the world’s leading table tennis competitions, bringing together elite Indian and international rowers, including medalists from the Olympic, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. With each edition, the league continues to raise the level of the sport in India and provide a global platform for emerging and established talent. In Season 7, seven franchises will compete for the coveted title. UTT also promotes the sport by sponsoring national ranking tournaments, the Table Tennis Super League and co-hosting the country’s WTT events.