Butterfly UTT Season 7 begins with Goa derby on July 9
Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7 begins in Goa on July 9 with Dempo Goa Challengers taking on defending champions U Mumba TT. The league features 42 players, including 14 Olympians, and introduces an AI-powered review system ahead of the Asian Games
Hyderabad: India’s biggest table tennis stars and some of the world’s finest paddlers are set to light up Goa as Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 powered by ChatGPT begins on Wednesday, July 9. The season opens with a blockbuster western derby at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, where hosts and two-time champions Dempo Goa Challengers face reigning champions U Mumba TT.
Over the next 18 days, seven franchises will battle for the coveted title, with the Grand Finale scheduled for July 26.
Leading the home challenge is reigning league MVP Bernadette Szocs, one of Butterfly UTT’s most consistent performers, who arrives in Goa after guiding U Mumba TT to the title last season before switching to Dempo Goa Challengers in this year’s auction.
“I’m always very happy to come back to UTT every year. The league keeps growing with each season, and every year it becomes even better. It’s a wonderful feeling to be part of it. Last season, winning the title was something truly amazing, a feeling I can’t really describe in words. I’m delighted to be back again and to be part of this league once more,” said Szocs at a press conference on Wednesday.
This year’s Butterfly UTT carries added significance for the Indian contingent, concluding just days before the national squad departs for the Asian Games in Japan and providing valuable high-pressure match practice against world-class opposition ahead of one of the year’s biggest international assignments.
Commenting on the same, PBG Pune Jaguars star Diya Chitale said, “Every season, I learn something new at Butterfly UTT. The league also brings a different kind of pressure. When it’s 6-6, and you know those last four or five points can decide the outcome, it’s a situation we don’t often experience elsewhere. Playing in those moments has really helped me develop as a player, and I think it’s excellent preparation ahead of the Asian Games.”
Season 7 will feature 42 players from around the world, including 14 Olympians.
Among the biggest storylines this season is the arrival of World No. 3 men’s doubles player Manush Shah at reigning champions U Mumba TT, where the Indian star will lead the title defence.
Season 7 also marks the return of Austrian Olympian Sofia Polcanova after Season 2. She revealed she has kept close tabs on the league, including watching her international doubles partner Bernadette Szocs lift last season’s title.
Butterfly UTT will also introduce the AI-powered Table Tennis Review (TTR) system this season, becoming one of the few leagues globally to adopt video review technology. Developed by Gurugram-based Stupa Sports, the league’s official technology partner, the system will review contested decisions in under 20 seconds.
