Jaipur Patriots Select Sreeja Akula; Bernadette Szocs Joins Ahmedabad SG Pipers in Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 Draft

In the Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 Player Draft, newcomers Jaipur Patriots selected top-ranked Indian Sreeja Akula, while the Ahmedabad SG Pipers picked World No. 10 Bernadette Szocs. The season will take place from August 22 to September 7 at Chennai's Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium.

Newcomers Jaipur Patriots made a significant move by selecting top-ranked Indian Sreeja Akula during the Ultimate Table Tennis 2024 Player Draft in Mumbai on Wednesday. The Ahmedabad SG Pipers opted for World No. 10 Bernadette Szocs as teams finalized their squads for the upcoming season, set to be held at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai from August 22 to September 7.

This season sees eight teams vying for the title, and the Player Draft was an intensely strategic event. Jaipur Patriots, who had the first pick, chose India's current World No. 25 Sreeja Akula, fresh off her historic WTT Contender singles title win. Other noteworthy picks include Ayhika Mukherjee for Puneri Paltan Table Tennis and Manush Shah plus Bernadette Szocs for the Ahmedabad SG Pipers.

A total of 48 players, including 16 foreign athletes, were drafted into six-member squads. Imran Shaikh, COO of Jaipur Patriots, expressed satisfaction with their selections, while Kartikeya Rao of Ahmedabad SG Pipers highlighted their balanced team structure. U Mumba TT opted for the experienced Aruna Quadri and Sutirtha Mukherjee, while PBG Bengaluru Smashers retained Manika Batra and added Alvaro Robles and Lily Zhang.

(With inputs from agencies.)