In the coach draft, Oilmax-Stag Yoddhas picked up Sandeep Gupta, the former head coach of the Junior National Team at the World Junior Circuit Finals in 2016. As a player, Sandeep claimed a gold medal in mixed doubles and a silver in men’s doubles at the SAAF TT Championships, 1989. He will be joined by Vesna Ojstersek, who was the head coach of Slovenia’s national women team for 6 years.

The management strategy at the player draft seemed to be get the right balance in terms of experience in their players and considering their youngest player is 17 and the oldest 37. 

Indian Players:

In Abhishek Yadav and Jubin Kumar, the Yoddhas have two highly talented players who love to attack. Abhishek is only 21 but he has been turning heads in the country as he has achieved a lot in his young career, most notably a bronze in the Asian Youth Games, 2013. He is also one of the few players who prefers to employ the pen hold grip. On the other hand, Jubin will be eager to make his mark in the first ever UTT event, just like he did in his first ever international tournament. That time, in a World Youth Table Tennis Festival (2002-03) held in Hungary, the lad from Chandigarh had bagged gold in the men’s category.

Manika Batra and Selena Selvakumar complete the set for the category of Indian players. Manika is currently the highest placed Indian player as per the ITTF World Ranking in the women’s category. She has been turning heads ever since she emerged in the table tennis circuit. It’s of little surprise since she has bagged medals at the Asian and international level and even managed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. The youngest player in the team, Selena Selvakumar, at the age of 17 has already tasted success in various levels. She won 3 gold medals in the 2016 Qatar World Junior Circuit and bagged 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze in the National Championships 2016. 

Foreign Players:

With a perfect blend of attacking and defending styles of play, Aruna Quadri and Panagiotis Gionis, - ranked 35th and 33^rd respectively - will bring their vast international experience to the table. Panagiotis is the oldest in the squad at the age of 37 and has represented his country in four consecutive Olympics from 2004 to 2016. His maturity will come in handy in crucial moments. 

As for the international women, Hoi Kem Doo of Hong Kong is the highest ranked player (13) in the squad. Having bagged gold in the ITTF World Tour Croatia Open 2016, she will be a very tough opponent to beat. Partnering Hoi Kem is Polina Mikhailova of Russia, currently ranked 54th in the world. Her defensive style of play along with Hoi Kem Doo’s fierce attacking style could earn them the upper hand in the league. Polina has played in various leagues across the world including in Germany, Hungary, Russia and Turkey. 

All in all, with the versatility of youth and experience and a good mix of attacking and defending players, Oilmax-Stag Yoddhas are certainly a team to watch out for!