New Delhi, July 19 (IANS): Defending champions Goa Challengers and newcomers Jaipur Patriots, will kickstart Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) 2024 action as the schedule of the season 5 announced on Friday.

A total of 23 exciting ties will take place at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai from August 22 to September 7.

The group stage will be concluded on September 4. The semifinals are scheduled for September 5 and 6, with the final on September 7.

This season, eight teams will compete for the coveted title. World No. 10 Bernadette Szocs, World No. 16 Nina Mittelham, and Nigerian legend, World No. 19 Quadri Aruna, are among the world’s top players participating. They will be joined by star Indian paddlers, including Achanta Sharath Kamal (WR 40), Sreeja Akula (WR 25), and Manika Batra (WR 28).

UTT 2024 will also feature promising Indian talents such as Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale, Poymantee Baisya, Abhinandh PB, Jeet Chandra, and Yashansh Malik.

Debutant team Ahmedabad SG Pipers will launch their campaign against Puneri Paltan Table Tennis on Day 2, while Chennai Lions will face PBG Bengaluru Smashers in an exciting southern derby later the same day. Dabang Delhi TTC and U Mumba TT will play their opening tie against each other on August 24.

The addition of two new teams this season introduces a slight change in the competition format. Teams will be divided into two groups of four for the league stage.

Each team will play five ties -- once against the three teams in their group and two randomly chosen teams from the other group. Each tie will consist of five matches -- two men’s singles, two women’s singles, and one mixed doubles.

The top four teams on the points table will progress to the knockout stage, with the semifinals featuring Team No. 1 vs Team No. 4 and Team No. 2 vs Team No. 3.

Last season, the league attracted 5.8 million viewers on Sports18 and JioCinema. The opener between Chennai Lions and Puneri Paltan Table Tennis garnered a total reach of 0.48 million, and the Maharashtra derby between the latter and U Mumba TT recorded a total reach of 0.45 million on Sports18 and JioCinema.

Promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India, the franchise-based league will see a total of 48 players, including 16 internationals, in action.

The ties will begin at 7:30 PM, with six double-headers scheduled, where the first tie will start at 5:00 PM, followed by the second at 7:30 PM. The high-voltage action will be broadcast live on Sports18 and streamed on JioCinema.