Chennai Lions face stern test against Goa Challengers in IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4

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

Pune, July 21, 2023: Defending champions Chennai Lions will look to get back to winning ways as they face a strong challenge against table toppers Goa Challengers on Saturday in IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4 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). 

Chennai Lions suffered a defeat in their last tie against Bengaluru Smashers, who registered their first win in Season 4, powered by DafaNews, and will aim for a better performance in the upcoming tie against the Goa franchise. Once again, all eyes will be on veteran Achanta Sharath Kamal, while World No. 33 Benedikt Duda and Yangzi Liu will look to continue their winning performance against Goa Challengers. 

"The last tie was a close one and we will give our best in the upcoming tie against Goa Challengers. Our squad has a lot of quality. We are the defending champions and it gives us a lot of confidence when we play against any opponent in Season 4," commented Duda ahead of the next tie. 

On the other hand, Goa Challengers are high on confidence at the moment as they are on top of the table with two wins in three ties. India's top-ranked male paddler Harmeet Desai has been in fine form at the moment, while Alvaro Robles and T Reeth Rishya have also contributed to the franchise's victory. 

Reeth said, "We have beaten strong sides like Dabang Delhi TTC and U Mumba TT in the Season 4 which certainly gives us a lot of confidence that we can beat any franchise in the league. All of the players are confident ahead of our upcoming tie against Chennai Lions."

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:

Chennai Lions

Coaches: Somnath Ghosh, Jorg Bitzigeio

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

Goa Challengers

Coaches: Elena Timina, Parag Agrawal 

Players: Suthasini Sawettabut, Harmeet Desai, Alvaro Robles, T Reeth Rishya, Krittwika Sinha Roy and Anthony Amalraj