As the girls packed their bags and headed back to their respective states after completing their campaigns, the spotlight swiftly shifted to the boys, who arrived in numbers for their leg of the UTT 87th Inter-State Junior and Youth National Table Tennis Championships in Dehradun. The action begins on Monday at the New Multipurpose Hall, setting the stage for an intense battle in the team and individual events.
Top-seeded Tamil Nadu enters the fray as the team to beat, boasting a formidable lineup spearheaded by P B Abhinand, with strong backing from M R Balamurugan, Mehan Senthil Kumar, and Umesh Kumar. Close on their heels, second-seeded West Bengal, with Punit Biswas, Oishik Ghosh, Priyanshu Karmakar, and Rupan Sardar, appears well-poised for a deep run, with a potential final berth firmly in sight.
West Bengal upset top seeds Tamil Nadu for Under-19 girls’ team title in Youth National TT
But the road to glory is anything but straightforward. Third seeds Assam, powered largely by the dynamic duo of Priyanuj Bhattacharyya and Divyaj Rajkhowa Roy, promise to be formidable challengers. Meanwhile, Maharashtra, seeded fourth, will lean heavily on Kushal Chopda, with seasoned campaigner Neil Mulye and teammates Ishan Khandekar and Yuvraj adding depth to a squad capable of upsetting the hierarchy.
Among the chasing pack, PSPBA, led by the promising Sahil Rawat alongside Trishal Raj Kumar, will look to break into the latter stages. Delhi, featuring Arjav Gupta and Atherva Gupta, also carries enough firepower to make the knockout rounds. However, rankings based on the top three players offer only a broad indicator. As history shows, a single upset in the knockout phase can dismantle even the strongest title bids.
Syndrela wins Under-19 and Under-17 singles title, a rare double at Youth Nationals TT
Himachal Pradesh’s hopes rest squarely on the shoulders of the gritty Naman Bhatnagar, a player known for his fighting spirit and ability to topple higher-ranked opponents on his day. Yet, the burden is immense, and support from Shreyansh Thakur, Swajanya Goswami, and Tanay Rawat will be crucial if the team is to punch above its weight.
Haryana, too, will pin their medal ambitions on Vatsak Dulkan and Siddhant Kataria, while Odisha will look to their standout performer Sarthak Arya to lead the charge. The NCOE squad could well emerge as the tournament’s dark horse, in a field where several teams hinge on the brilliance of a single standout player. With eight groups in contention, the top two teams from each will advance to the knockout stage, raising the stakes from the very first serve.
The boys’ competition sees an even larger field than the girls’, with 31 states in the fray. Participation numbers are equally staggering, 305 entries in the Under-19 category and 308 in the U-17 category, adding to the logistical challenge for organisers. The draw, scheduled for Sunday evening, will divide teams into eight groups, with Group A comprising three teams and the remaining Groups B to H featuring four each.
On the opening day, the Under-17 boys will kick off proceedings with group-stage singles matches, and the Under-19 players will begin their singles campaigns a day later, alongside doubles events in both categories, marking the start of what promises to be a fiercely contested championship.
The championships will be overseen by referee A S Kler, while T G Upadhyay, Mangesh Mopker, and P B Bhaskar, as his deputies. A strong panel of Blue Badge, international, and national umpires will officiate under the competition manager, N Ganeshan, with Stag Global equipment in use throughout.
