Pune, Jul 14 (IANS): Dabang Delhi TTC, who won the title in 2018, will open their campaign against Goa Challengers in Season 4 of the Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here on Saturday.

The fourth season of the Ultimate Table Tennis tournament started on Thursday, with top paddlers showcasing their remarkable skills in the third tie of the ongoing season.

The franchise-based league, promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI), has been a game-changer for Indian table tennis since its inception in 2017 and will look to achieve success in its fourth season as well.

Powered by top Indian paddler Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, the season 3 finalist Dabang Delhi TTC will look to grab the title this time around in the UTT Season 4.

Sathiyan is the star attraction for the Delhi franchise, while Sreeja Akula and Ayhika Mukherjee also carry the experience of playing in big tournaments. Anirban Ghosh is the young talent in the team, while Barbora Balazova and Jon Persson bring an international flavour to Dabang Delhi TTC.

"I have been a part of Dabang Delhi TTC for all the seasons of UTT and to be back here with the team feels like a homecoming. The league has played a tremendous role in nurturing Indian talent, and we have a great squad this season as well. We are looking forward to our ties and our focus is to win the title," commented Sathiyan ahead of the tie.

On the other hand, Goa Challengers will bank on their foreign signings Alvaro Robles and Suthasini Sawettabut besides Indian stars Harmeet Desai, Anthony Amalraj, T Reeth Rishya and Krittwika Sinha Roy.

Speaking ahead of their campaign Robles stated, "I am really excited for the league as it provides a perfect platform for players to showcase their talent. It's useful for all of us and I am looking forward to playing in the UTT season 4 with my amazing teammates, who are really talented and will look to win every tie."