CHENNAI: Chennai Lions will look to make use of their home advantage and reclaim the title they last won in 2019 in the Ultimate Table Tennis being held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium here.
The 2024 edition will see the addition of two new franchises — Ahmedabad SG Pipers and Jaipur Patriots — making the competition an eight-team one.
Lions have Olympian A Sharath Kamal in their squad and the veteran, who was part of the title-winning side in 2019, will be hoping to inspire the youngsters in the side.
Lions also have PB Abhinandh, who is the youngest paddler in the UTT's fifth edition, in their ranks. He is considered to be one of the most promising players in the country. And he's in good form, having won three titles — U-17, U-19 and men's category — in the first
first four TNTTA State Ranking tournaments held for 2024 season. He is Tamil Nadu's No 1 player in those categories.
The modest and bubbly youngster believes that UTT would help him evolve as a better player as he will get an opportunity to play and interact with some of the best players in the game.
"I'm very excited to be a part of Chennai Lions in the UTT season five. Since my debut is also in my hometown, it is a very special feeling for me," said Abhinandh.
Apart from Sharath and Abhinandh, the Chennai Lions squad comprises of Sakura Mori (Japan), Jules Rolland (France), Poymantee Baisya and Mouma Das.
"I am training vigorously for the tournament. The training has been very good and I am practising well along with all the international players," Abhinandh said.
Abhinandh has been coached by Subin Kumar and has made rapid progress, winning medals in all age groups and doing well also in the men's segment.
''My coach is Subin Kumar and he has helped me throughout my career and he has trained me from the start. His input and methods are very helpful. However, for the UTT, I am working on my forehand and backhand in order to get the better of long rallies,'' he said.
The UTT has taken a leaf out of the IPL and wishes to provide a platform for youngsters to play against the best players and learn and improve the quality of the game.
"I'm really happy and blessed to be a part of UTT and especially Chennai Lions being the youngest player and I would wish to learn a lot from watching all the top players in action. It's really exciting and I would like to learn things from Sharath Kamal sir, I would like to learn from him the thought process that one should have during a match to make decisions. Sharath Sir has been kind enough to advise me on how to prepare before the matches. He also gave inputs on how the mindset should be and the techniques that they (players at UTT) use," revealed Abhinandh.
"It's really a very competitive tournament as all the top players are playing and all the teams are very good. The format is very competitive," he added.
He might be the youngest but he certainly has high ambitions and is eager to surprise the established stars.
"Yes, I certainly feel that I can beat them. My strength is my aggressive style of play and the confidence that I will give more than 100 per cent and can play well irrespective of who is my opponent. I'm absolutely strong in my mind that I will give my team the results they need. My team combination is really good with a lot of experienced and top players in the world. So I am sure our team will do well," signed off Abhinandh.
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