U Mumba TT selected promising young paddler Ahona Ray as the first overall pick in the UTT Juniors Season 2 draft. Ahona, who recently won the Girls’ Singles title at the WTT Youth Contender Doha 2026 and has multiple national and continental medals, will join the franchise for the upcoming grassroots tournament.
The second edition of Dream UTT Juniors will run from July 8 to 19, 2026, alongside Butterfly UTT Season 7 in Goa. The league integrates India’s top U-15 talents — selected from the Dream Sports Championships Table Tennis 2026 in Chennai — into the professional table tennis ecosystem. A total of 14 players (7 boys and 7 girls) were drafted across the seven franchises.
Key Draft Highlights
- U Mumba TT: Somdev Sengupta & Ahona Ray
- Kolkata ThunderBlades (defending champions): Vatsal Duklan & Titash Chatterjee
- Dabang Delhi TTC: Himon Mondal & Sreejani Chakraborty
- Other franchises also picked strong young talents in the draft.
Development Focus The tournament provides young players with valuable exposure by allowing them to train alongside senior Butterfly UTT professionals, work with franchise coaches, and experience a high-performance environment. Butterfly UTT Co-Promoter Vita Dani emphasised that the initiative is a crucial part of building long-term pathways for Indian table tennis.
The format will mirror the senior league: each team plays others once in the league stage, with every tie consisting of Boys’ Singles, Girls’ Singles, and Mixed Doubles. Points are awarded per game won, and the top four teams advance to the semi-finals. All matches will be streamed live on FanCode.
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