Bengaluru Smashers hunt for first win against Chennai Lions in IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4

Season 4 action is available on Sports 18 and streamed on JioCinema

Pune, July 19, 2023: Manika Batra starer Bengaluru Smashers will aim to register their first win as they go up against defending champions Chennai Lions in IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4 on Thursday at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Mahalunge-Balewadi in Pune 

The franchise-based league, promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI).

Bengaluru Smashers lost their previous two ties in Season 4, powered by DafaNews, against U Mumba TT and Dabang Delhi T.T.C. and lie in the sixth position in the points table. 

Manika will be the key player for the franchise in the next tie, while Kirill Gerassimenko and Natalia Bajor will also look to contribute to the victory. 

"The last two ties were really difficult and we haven't started really well in the tournament. However, the team can always make a comeback. We are looking forward to fight and give our best in the next tie against Chennai Lions. We are not giving up and trying to make a comeback with our quality," commented Kirill ahead of the upcoming tie against Chennai Lions. 

On the other hand, Chennai Lions will bank on the likes of Achanta Sharath Kamal, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Yangzi Liu and Benedikt Duda who have been in fine form in the league. They won their opening tie against Puneri Paltan Table Tennis before losing the next one to U Mumba TT after a close fight.

"The way he played and performed as a team in the league has given us a lot of confidence going into the next tie against Bengaluru Smashers. We are the defending champions and it gives us a lot of confidence when we play against any opponent in Season 4," commented Sutirtha ahead of the tie.

All the Season 4 ties start at 7.30 PM with broadcast on Sports 18 and streamed on JioCinema. The tickets are available on BookMyShow.

Squads:

Bengaluru Smashers

Coaches: Sachin Shetty, Vesna Ojstersek 

Players: Manika Batra, Kirill Gerassimenko, Sanil Shetty, Natalia Bajor, Poymantee Baisya and Jeet Chandra. 

Chennai Lions

Coaches: Somnath Ghosh, Jorg Bitzigeio

Players: Achanta Sharath Kamal, Yangzi Liu, Benedikt Duda, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Payas Jain and Prapti Sen