After 17 days of intense table tennis action at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex in New Delhi, we have our finalists, Chennai Lions and Dabang Delhi T.T.C., who will stake claim for the mega prize - The Ultimate Table Tennis Season 3 final trophy.
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran-led Dabang and Sharath Kamal-led Lions have found themselves in the final after gruelling semi-finals that tested both teams to their limits. As a result, we have a mouth-watering clash on our hands befitting of a final, and a chance to once again see India’s two highest-ranked paddlers face-off.
A place in the final is as much about experience and strategy as skill, and it was evident with the way the teams made it here. Both teams suffered opening losses against younger and quicker opposition, had a few ups and downs along the way, but delivered when it mattered the most.
The last time these two teams met was the final game of the league stage, and Dabang Delhi bettered the Lions by 8 games to 7. The reigning champs would settle for the same scoreline, while Chennai Lions, catapulted by Sharath Kamal’s performance in the semi-final last night, will look to their captain for inspiration so lead them to the title.
Sharath would also eye nothing less than victory, having never reached the finals of this tournament, and would love to add that to his long list of table tennis achievements. Sathiyan would also love to add back to back UTT titles to his resume, consolidating his position as India’s and the tournament’s best.
Both Dabang and the Lions have enough firepower in their arsenal in the form of Bernadette Szocs, Jon Persson and Krittwika Sinha Roy for the former, and Tiago Apolonia, Petrissa Solja and Madhurika Patkar for the latter, and they are not short on experience in crunch situations. It remains to be seen who will make the most of the situations presented to them to take home the prize.
Tune in to Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports Select 1, Star Sports Select 1 HD, Hotstar and JioTV today at 7 pm IST to watch the season finale and witness the new champs being crowned live.