We’re counting down the days to India’s inaugural Table Tennis league and with each passing moment, the excitement builds. From the fans to the players to the coaches – Ultimate Table Tennis has captured the attention of the nation and beyond.

It’s an unprecedented format that is set to make its debut on Indian turf. With the world’s finest paddlers battling it out, we’re in for quite the treat. The domestic players, for their part, are visibly excited about the league. Dabang Smashers’ Sathiyan Gnanasekaran called it the ‘best of the worlds’ and a ‘great beginning’ for the sport in India. Indeed, the 24-year-old has plenty of buzz surrounding him ahead of the tournament.

The fact that UTT doesn’t coincide with foreign leagues from around the world is an added bonus for the players plying their trade abroad. Something which iProspect Challengers’ Soumyajit Ghosh highlighted, “The league is only for two weeks. If it extends, we can think of not playing for a European club. At the moment, it is not possible.”

Veteran Anthony Amalraj has his sights firmly focused on playing in a domestic league. The Dabang Smasher paddler, who has the experience of playing on foreign shores, says the new league is where he will turn his attention to, “My aim is to improve my rankings and I don’t want to lose focus. Foreign leagues can wait,” said the 31-year-old.

UTT will offer an unparalleled platform for the domestic players to come to the fore and showcase their extraordinary skills. It’s also drawn praise from foreign players. Maharashtra United’s Chun Ting Wong is one of the league’s star attractions, “The professional league will attract and bring world class players to India. This will benefit the sport of table tennis in the country. I believe it will bring advanced training methods and other technical aspects too which will benefit Indian players in the long run,” he said.

Ranked 7 in the world, Ting claimed bronze at the World Championship held in Dusseldorf and showed plenty of excitement about his maiden India trip, “I am very excited about my first trip to India for the UTT. I expect there will be top-class competitions with many top players from other countries.”

Meanwhile, German superstar Sabine Winter expressed her excitement via a Facebook post, “I'm really looking forward to it (UTT) and expect it to be a great experience and great TT in a new modern format.” The RP-SG Mavericks paddler, with her plethora of skills, will be one to watch out for when the tournament commences.

With praise and enthusiasm coming from within the borders and beyond it, Ultimate Table Tennis has got people talking. A one-of-a-kind league that is sure to make people from all corners of the globe sit up and take notice. Don’t miss the action as UTT begins July 13th in Chennai.