Pushed to the fifth spot on the leaderboard, Ahmedabad SG Pipers will have one final opportunity to stake their claim in the knockouts when they lock horns with Jaipur Patriots in the clash of debutants of IndianOil Ultimate Table Tennis 2024, on Wednesday.

The franchise-based league is promoted by Niraj Bajaj and Vita Dani under the auspices of the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI). Tickets are available online through BookMyShow and offline at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium box office near Gate No. 1.

Heading into the final league match of the IndianOil UTT 2024, both teams are separated by a five-point margin, with the Ahmedabad SG Pipers sitting in fifth place with 30 points in their kitty, while the Jaipur Patriots are in eighth place with 25 points. The equations can quickly change as has been witnessed throughout the season, and thus both teams still fancy an outside chance of making it to the semifinals.

As a result, one can expect a tantalising contest between the first-timers of IndianOil UTT 2024, with both outfits boasting a number of players capable of turning the tide in favour of their respective teams.

The Ahmedabad-based outfit will be pinning their hopes on the highest-ranked player of the tournament, World No. 13 Bernadette Szocs, and the Romanian star’s potential clash against Jaipur Patriots’ Thai recruit Suthasini Sawettabut could be the highlight of the day. Manush Shah and Lilian Bardet of France will also be expected to shoulder the responsibility of giving Ahmedabad SG Pipers the much-needed push. On the other hand, the Jaipur Patriots will be expecting the likes of South Korean star Cho Seungmin, Moumita Dutta, and Snehit SFR to keep them ahead in the race to the knockouts.

Squads

Ahmedabad SG Pipers vs Jaipur Patriots

Ahmedabad SG Pipers: Manush Shah, Bernadette Szocs (Romania), Lilian Bardet (France), Reeth Tennison, Kritikwa Sinha Roy, Jash Modi

Jaipur Patriots: Cho Seungmin (South Korea), Suthasini Sawettabut (Thailand), Snehit SFR, Ronit Bhanja, Moumita Dutta, Nithyashree Mani