Table tennis | Szocs, Chitale, Manush fetch big bucks at UTT Auction

Big names commanded bigger bids as franchises zeroed in on proven performers and emerging Indian talent at the Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7 player auction on Tuesday, with reigning champion Bernadette Szocs topping the charts.

Szocs, snapped up by Dempo Goa Challengers for 40 lakh tokens, headlined a list of marquee acquisitions that underlined the premium on experience. Close behind was Diya Chitale, who became the highest-valued Indian for the second successive year, joining PBG Pune Jaguars for 37.4 lakh tokens. Her mixed doubles partner Manush Shah wasn’t far behind, picked up by U Mumba TT for 37.2 lakh.

If Pune and U Mumba invested in Indian mainstays, UP Prometheans, the league debutant, went big on balance, pairing Manav Thakkar (36 lakh) with two-time league MVP Yangzi Liu (32 lakh) to assemble arguably the most formidable core on paper.