8 Teams to fight for top honours in DCB-MPL TT

by Prashant Kapadia/NHN

DCB Bank support for three-day tournament

Mumbai, June 12: Eight franchise-based teams will be competing to emerge supreme in the DCB Bank-Mumbai Premier League (MPL) – Table Tennis 2023. The MPL which is being organized by The Suburban Table Tennis Association (TSTTA, Mumbai) in association with the Mumbai City District Table Tennis Association (MCDTTA) will be played at the Prabodhankar Thackeray Krida Sankul (PTKS), Vile Parle from June 16 to 18, 2023.

All the leading junior and senior players will be seen representing their respective teams and as such the MPL promises to witness action-packed and exciting contests during the 3 days of competition.

The tournament offers a cash reward of Rs 1.5 lakh for the champion team and Rs 75,000 for the runners-up. The two losing semi-finalists would receive a cash prize of Rs 50,000 each.

Arvind Prabhoo, President TSTTA and PTKS Club and Chairman of MPL, speaking to media persons at a press conference on Monday said, “Organising the MPL is to encourage young players to work harder, play harder and reach the top level. China has a table tennis culture and children start playing from three years old. In our country we don’t have children of that age starting to play table tennis. I want to build a rich table tennis culture, which we don’t have”.

“The MPL is the beginning of a small league and I am happy with the enthusiasm shown by the egith franchise owners who came forward to support a team. Their contributions would certainly help promote the sport. Almost a decade ago Mumbai was dominant in the National tournaments, but there has been a decline in recent years. TSTTA, which is a newly formed body, is working to bring back the past glory,” Prabhoo further mentioned.

Each team will comprise of players in six categories – Veterans (39+), Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys and Junior Girls and Sub-Junior Boys. The eight teams will compete on a league-cum-knockout basis and table tennis enthusiasts are certain to witness many tense and absorbing battles for supremacy.

The teams and owners are – Super Titans (owners: Bhavesh Shah and Pinakin Sampat), Ping Panthers (owners: Nishad Naik and Samir Raut), Century Bashers (owners: Sandeep Katiyar, Raman Iyer and Prakash Panjabi), Mumbai Royals (owner: Nishant Vora), Thunder Falcons (owners: Preeti Bhowmick and Ashlesha Trehan), Ping Pong Knights (owner: Bharat Saroopa), Underdogs (owner: Manoj Saroopa), PTKS Achievers (owners: Arvind Prabhoo and Sameer Bhate).

The teams have been divided into two pools of four each and will initially play in a round-robin league. The top two teams from each pool will qualify for the semi-finals.

The MPL was set rolling with the players’ auction conducted late last month. Veteran players Nishant Kulkarni, Regan Albuquerque (Mens), Dhruv Shah and Sharveya Samant (Junior Boys) ruled the auction, as these players were purchased for far more than their base price.

Yogesh Desai, who won a Gold medal at the World Veteran TT Championship in Oman early this year, is proud that TSTTA is in the forefront of organizing this event. “We at Team TSTTA (The Suburban Table Tennis Association) are unquestionably very excited and eager to organize the inaugural DCB Bank-MPL 2023. The MPL will provide an opportunity for players, especially the youngsters from all over Mumbai to showcase their enormous talents and potential,” stated Desai, Chairman TSTTA and Tournament Director of MPL 2023.

“I wish to thank all the owners of the eight teams for supporting the MPL which is being organized jointly with TSTTA and MCDTTA. I am confident that this event will be successful and benefit the youngsters,” added Deasai.

The MPL organizing committee is sure that the three day event is going to be a huge success, and the prime intention of organizing the league is creating more awareness for the sport of Table Tennis, to reach out to the masses and encourage kids and elders alike to play this exciting sport. Watch the champions in action at the PTKS Club and experience the exhilarating atmosphere.

The participating teams and owners: Super Titans (Bhavesh Shah and Pinakin Sampat), Ping Panthers (Nishad Naik and Samir Raut), Century Bashers (Sandeep Katiyar, Raman Iyer and Prakash Panjabi), Mumbai Royals (Nishant Vora), Thunder Falcons (Preeti Bhowmick and Ashlesha Trehan),  Ping Pong Knights (Bharat Saroopa), Underdogs (Manoj Saroopa), PTKS Achievers (Arvind Prabhoo and Sameer Bhate).