UTT 2024: Bengaluru Smashers, Chennai Lions to clash in southern derby; Debutants Ahmedabad SG Pipers face Puneri Paltan

Chennai (Tamil Nadu)[India], August 23 (ANI): PBG Bengaluru Smashers will face hosts Chennai Lions in a tantalising Southern derby in the Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 on Friday.
The tie will feature Indian greats Achanta Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra, as well as foreign stars Alvaro Robles, Lily Zhang and Sakura Mori among others.
Before that, in the double header day's first tie, debutants Ahmedabad SG Pipers, led by Manush Shah and Bernadette Szocs, will square up against Puneri Paltan Table Tennis, featuring Ayhika Mukherjee and Joao Monteiro.
Now in their second season and captained by Spanish powerhouse Robles, who lifted the title last year, PBG Bengaluru Smashers will look to get off to a fast start. However, the team from Bengaluru will face a tough challenge against the home-backed Chennai Lions, whose star attraction, India's top-ranked male paddler Sharath, will draw significant local support.
As such, PBG Bengaluru Smashers will aim to counter the hosts' 'home' advantage with Indian ace Manika, as well as Olympians Robles and Zhang.
Earlier in the day, Manush and Szocs will lead the debuting Ahmedabad SG Pipers in their opening tie of the fifth season of IndianOil UTT. Opposing them will be last year's semi-finalists Puneri Paltan Table Tennis, who started from scratch this season by drafting Ayhika and building a team around her.
The first tie of the day between the teams from Ahmedabad and Pune will take place at 17:00 local time. The second tie between Chennai Lions and PBG Bengaluru Smashers is scheduled to begin at 19:30.
Squads:
Puneri Paltan Table Tennis vs Ahmedabad SG Pipers
Puneri Paltan Table Tennis: Ayhika Mukherjee, Natalia Bajor (Poland), Joao Monteiro (Portugal), Ankur Bhattacharjee, Anirban Ghosh, Yashini Sivashankar
Ahmedabad SG Pipers: Manush Shah, Bernadette Szocs (Romania), Lilian Bardet (France), Reeth Tennison, Pritha Vartikar, Jash Modi
Chennai Lions vs PBG Bengaluru Smashers
Chennai Lions: Achanta Sharath Kamal, Sakura Mori (Japan), Jules Rolland (France), Poymantee Baisya, Mouma Das, Abhinandh PB
PBG Bengaluru Smashers: Manika Batra, Alvaro Robles (Spain), Lily Zhang (USA), Jeet Chandra, Taneesha Kotecha, Amalraj Anthony.(ANI)