‘Chennai Lions’ to face stiff test against Goa Challengers Preview

Pune: Defending champions Chennai Lions will look to get back to winning ways in Ultimate Table Tennis Season 4 but for that they will have to overcome the challenge of defending table toppers Goa Challengers at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Mahalunge-Balewadi on Saturday. Chennai Lions had to face defeat against Bengaluru Smashers in their previous match. Bengaluru registered its first win in season 4. Now the Chennai team will try to perform better in this league in the match against the Goa franchise.

All eyes will once again be on the experienced Achant Sharath Kamal, while world number 33 Benedict Duda and Yangzi Liu will look to continue their winning run against the Goa Challengers. Before the next match, Duda said, ‘The last match was close and we will give our best in the next match against Goa Challengers. There is a lot of quality in our team. We are the defending champions and that gives us a lot of confidence when we play against any opponent in Season 4. Goa Challengers, on the other hand, are brimming with confidence at the moment as they are on top of the points table with two wins from three matches.

India’s top-ranked men’s paddler Harmeet Desai has been in fine form at the moment, while Alvaro Robles and T Rith Richia have also contributed to the franchise’s victories. Reith said, “We have beaten strong teams like Dabang Delhi TTC and U Mumba TT in Season 4, which has definitely given us a lot of confidence. We are convinced that we can beat any franchise in the league. All our compatriots are confident of victory in the upcoming match against Chennai Lions.

Teams:
Chennai: Lions
Coaches: Somnath Ghosh, Jorg Bitzgio
Players: Achanta Sharath Kamal, Yangzi Liu, Benedict Duda, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Payas Jain and Prapti Sen

Goa Challengers:
Coaches: Elena Timina, Parag Agarwal
Players: Suthasini Sawetabut, Harmeet Desai, Alvaro Robles, T Reith Richia, Kritwika Sinha Roy and Anthony Amalraj