DHFL Maharashtra United have a coach in the form of National Gold medallist and Commonwealth Championships runner-up Arup Basak. Along with being a noteworthy player, Basak has the distinction of helping team India win 13 medals at the Commonwealth Championships 2013 and securing promotion for his team to the first division in the World Team Championships.

Basak has an equally adept partner in foreign coach Ferenc Karsai. Karsai is one of the best European coaches ever and has coached team Austria to a Goal medal at the World Championship. He was the national team coach for five consecutive Olympics, and has also coached the rest of the world team against China in 2004. DHFL Maharashtra United will be assured in the coaching department with Basak and Karsai at the helm.

Indian Players

With an average age of 22.5 years, the Indian contingent representing DHFL Maharashtra United have got a young squad. But don’t let the age mislead you, because in Harmeet Desai, Ronit Bhanja, Krittwika Roy and Pooja Sahasrabudhe, they have talent and tenacity that will easily make you forget their age.

Youngster Harmeet Desai from Surat, Gujrat has had a meteoric rise in the world of table tennis and has broken into the top 100 in the world rankings at a very young age. He will look to showcase his attacking brand of table tennis in the competition and blaze a trail. Ronit Bhanja is another hot prospect, ranking 12th in India at one point and finishing 5th in the World Junior Circuit finals. 23-year-old Krittwika Roy is a Fajr Cup champion and is well known for her all-round game. Rounding off the group of home talents is Pooja Sahasrabudhe, the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games Silver medallist and World TT Championships Gold medallist in the 2nd division.

Foreign Players

DHFL Maharashtra United boast a foreign contingent that consists of men’s world no. 7, Wong Chun Ting, and women’s no. 15 Liu Jia, along with Joao Monteiro and Fu Yu, who are both part of the top 50 in the men’s and women’s category respectively.

Wong Chun Ting hails from Hong Kong and is a versatile player with an aggressive style of play. He uses both sides of the racket to wreak havoc on an opponent. His list of achievements includes the 2015 Czech Open trophy, Gold in the men’s doubles of the 2016 European Championships, Bronze in the men’s doubles and singles categories of the Asian Championship 2017 and third place at the World Cup 2016. He is joined by Joao Monteiro, the 42nd ranked Portuguese who will bring his defensive style of table tennis to the team. Monteiro is himself a winner of the European Team Championship 2014 and is the perfect balance of elegance and experience.

Chinese origin Austrian star Liu Jia and Portuguese star Yu Fu form the women’s team in the foreign contingent of DHFL Maharashtra United. The European Champion Liu Jia has grabbed four Gold medals in the singles category of the Pro Tour too, again in the singles category, and has also won the Champions League twice. She is joined by Yu Fu, the European Individual Championship runner-up, and Rio Olympian. Yu and her aggressive style of table tennis are exactly what DHFL Maharashtra United expect to bring them glory at the tournament.

With a group of passionate and attacking players, DHFL Maharashtra United have the firepower to propel them in the inaugural Ultimate Table Tennis league, that will come to life on the 13th of July.