India start favourites at Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships

Top-seeded India will begin favourites in the men's team event at the 22nd Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships in Delhi. Singapore lead the women's seedings, while a record USD 110,000 prize purse and strong international participation promise an exciting week of competition

Hyderabad: Top-seeded India will begin as the favourites in the men’s team event when the 22nd Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships get underway at the Thyagraj Stadium here on Monday, while Singapore’s women, seeded No. 1, will be the team to beat in the women’s competition, with India close behind as the second seeds.

Organised by the Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation under the aegis of the Table Tennis Federation of India, the championships will run from July 27 to August 2 with full support from the Government of Delhi, whose backing has been pivotal in staging the event.

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The city’s enthusiastic support is evident in the championship branding displayed prominently from the airport to key locations across Delhi, and the Delhi Government has also made all hospitality arrangements for participating teams and officials.

The week-long championships, running from July 27 to August 2, will feature 23 men’s teams and 18 women’s teams, bringing together many of the Commonwealth’s leading table tennis nations. Based on the latest team rankings, India’s men have earned the top seeding ahead of Australia and England, reflecting their status as the strongest side in the field. In the women’s draw, Singapore leads the seedings, followed by India and Australia, setting the stage for what promises to be an intense battle for the title.

India’s medal hopes will largely rest on an experienced core led by G. Sathiyan, Harmeet Desai, Manav Thakkar, Manush Shah and Payas Jain in the men’s squad. On the women’s side, Sreeja Akula, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Yashaswini Ghorpade, Syndrela Das and Swastika Ghosh are expected to shoulder the challenge in both the team and individual events.

Despite India’s favourable seeding and home advantage, the hosts are unlikely to have it easy. Australia and England remain formidable opponents in the men’s competition, while Singapore’s women continue to set the benchmark in the Commonwealth. Canada, Malaysia, New Zealand and South Africa also possess enough quality to challenge for podium finishes and spring surprises during the knockout rounds.

Adding further prestige to this edition, the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships will offer a record total prize purse of USD 110,000, the highest in the tournament’s history. Winners of the men’s and women’s team championships and the men’s and women’s singles titles will each receive USD 10,000, while champions in the men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles events will earn USD 4,000 each. Prize money will also be awarded to runners-up and semifinalists across all categories.

The team competitions will each carry a purse of USD 20,000, with the champions receiving USD 10,000, runners-up receiving USD 5,000, and the two losing semifinalists receiving USD 2,500 each. The men’s and women’s singles events will follow an identical prize-money structure.

The team competition will be played under the Commonwealth Table Tennis Federation’s three-stage format, guaranteeing every team at least six matches before the championship rounds.

Teams progressing from the group phase will move into the knockout stage, while the remaining sides will compete in classification matches to determine their final standings.

The official team draw, scheduled for later on Sunday, is expected to provide a clearer picture of the road to the medals.

In the individual events, each member association may enter up to eight players in the singles, four pairs each in the men’s and women’s doubles, and eight pairs in the mixed doubles. As hosts, India will enjoy the additional advantage of fielding double the standard quota of entries in the individual competitions.