The rosters are locked in. Ahead of Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7, all seven franchises have finalised their line-ups through the auction — and the Butterfly UTT 2026 squads blend India’s biggest paddlers with a genuinely world-class international field.
Here’s the complete team-by-team player list, the auction’s biggest buys, and the star names to track when the action begins in Goa. (For match dates and timings, see our full Butterfly UTT 2026 schedule.)
How the Butterfly UTT 2026 Squads Were Built
The Season 7 auction took place on April 28, 2026, at Sahara Star, Mumbai, with each of the seven franchises handed a purse of 1 crore tokens. Every squad carries six players — two overseas paddlers (one man, one woman) and four Indians (two men, two women) — giving each tie the league’s signature mixed-team format.
Reigning champions U Mumba TT, Dabang Delhi T.T.C., Ahmedabad APL Pipers and Kolkata ThunderBlades used retentions to lock in a marquee name each, while Dempo Goa Challengers, PBG Pune Jaguars and debutants UP Prometheans entered with a full purse.
Butterfly UTT 2026 Auction: Top Buys
Romania’s Bernadette Szocs was the headline signing of the auction, becoming the most expensive player of Season 7. India’s Diya Chitale once again topped the domestic charts, while Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar — both back in the pool after a year focused on the international circuit — sparked heavy bidding.
| Rank | Player | Team | Price (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bernadette Szocs (Romania) | Dempo Goa Challengers | 40 lakh |
| 2 | Diya Chitale (India) | PBG Pune Jaguars | 37.40 lakh |
| 3 | Manush Shah (India) | U Mumba TT | 37.20 lakh |
| 4 | Manav Thakkar (India) | UP Prometheans | 36 lakh |
| 5 | Yangzi Liu (Australia) | UP Prometheans | 32 lakh |
Teenage prodigy Divyanshi Bhowmick, signed by Dabang Delhi T.T.C., entered as one of the youngest names in the auction pool — a marker of the league’s deepening talent pipeline.
Butterfly UTT 2026 Squads: Full Team-by-Team List
U Mumba TT (Defending Champions)
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Manush Shah | India (M) |
| Akash Pal | India (M) — retained |
| Nityashree Mani | India (W) |
| Anusha Kutumbale | India (W) |
| Lilian Bardet (France) | Overseas (M) |
| Anna Hursey (Wales) | Overseas (W) |
Outlook: The champions kept their doubles specialist and reunited with Lilian Bardet, then splashed out on Manush Shah. With a retained title-winning coaching duo and national coach Sourav Chakraborty joining the setup, U Mumba TT look built to defend.
Dempo Goa Challengers (Hosts, Two-Time Champions)
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Abhinandh PB | India (M) |
| Syndrela Das | India (W) |
| Divyanshi Srivastava | India (W) |
| Ananya Chande | India (W) |
| Alvaro Robles (Spain) | Overseas (M) |
| Bernadette Szocs (Romania) | Overseas (W) |
Outlook: Playing on home soil for the first time, Goa paired auction-topper Szocs with 2023 title-winner Alvaro Robles and backed a clutch of emerging Indian talents. A dangerous side in front of a home crowd.
Dabang Delhi T.T.C.
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Sathiyan Gnanasekaran | India (M) — retained |
| Raegan Albuquerque | India (M) |
| Divyanshi Bhowmick | India (W) |
| Sutirtha Mukherjee | India (W) |
| Youssef Abdelaziz (Egypt) | Overseas (M) |
| Maria Xiao (Spain) | Overseas (W) |
Outlook: Delhi extended Sathiyan’s long association with the franchise and blended Sutirtha Mukherjee’s experience with the youthful spark of Divyanshi Bhowmick.
PBG Pune Jaguars
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Snehit Suravajjula | India (M) |
| Mudit Dani | India (M) |
| Diya Chitale | India (W) |
| Sayanika Maji | India (W) |
| Omar Assar (Egypt) | Overseas (M) |
| Prithika Pavade (France) | Overseas (W) |
Outlook: Pune went all-in on Diya Chitale and surrounded her with seasoned campaigners Snehit and Omar Assar, plus France’s Prithika Pavade — a balanced, attack-heavy unit.
Ahmedabad APL Pipers
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Payas Jain | India (M) |
| Sanil Shetty | India (M) |
| Manika Batra | India (W) — retained |
| Kavya Bhatt | India (W) |
| Adrien Rassenfosse (Belgium) | Overseas (M) |
| Sofia Polcanova (Austria) | Overseas (W) |
Outlook: With Indian icon Manika Batra retained and world-class Sofia Polcanova alongside her, Ahmedabad boast one of the strongest women’s pairings in the league.
Kolkata ThunderBlades
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Ankur Bhattacharjee | India (M) — retained |
| Jeet Chandra | India (M) |
| Ayhika Mukherjee | India (W) |
| Taneesha Kotecha | India (W) |
| Eduard Ionescu (Romania) | Overseas (M) |
| Zeng Jian (Singapore) | Overseas (W) |
Outlook: Kolkata built around retained talent Ankur Bhattacharjee and the ever-reliable Ayhika Mukherjee, adding Singapore’s Zeng Jian for international firepower.
UP Prometheans (Debutants)
| Player | Role |
|---|---|
| Manav Thakkar | India (M) |
| Sudhanshu Grover | India (M) |
| Swastika Ghosh | India (W) |
| Sayali Wani | India (W) |
| Yangzi Liu (Australia) | Overseas (W) |
Outlook: The new franchise made a statement by landing Manav Thakkar and Yangzi Liu. A strong debut squad — expect them to be competitive from the off. (Note: confirm the franchise’s overseas men’s signing before publishing.)
Star Players to Watch in Butterfly UTT 2026
- Manika Batra (Ahmedabad APL Pipers) — India’s most recognisable paddler and a genuine matchwinner.
- Diya Chitale (PBG Pune Jaguars) — the auction’s top Indian buy for a second season running.
- Manav Thakkar & Manush Shah — the World No. 5 men’s doubles pair, now on opposing teams, setting up a mouth-watering head-to-head.
- Bernadette Szocs (Dempo Goa Challengers) — the season’s biggest overseas signing, bringing explosive attacking play.
- Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (Dabang Delhi T.T.C.) — a franchise stalwart entering another campaign with Delhi.
- Divyanshi Bhowmick (Dabang Delhi T.T.C.) — one of Indian table tennis’s brightest young prospects.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many teams are in Butterfly UTT 2026? Seven franchises: U Mumba TT, Dempo Goa Challengers, Dabang Delhi T.T.C., PBG Pune Jaguars, Ahmedabad APL Pipers, Kolkata ThunderBlades, and debutants UP Prometheans.
How many players are in each UTT 2026 squad? Six — two overseas players (one man, one woman) and four Indians (two men, two women).
Who was the most expensive player at the UTT 2026 auction? Bernadette Szocs of Romania was signed by Dempo Goa Challengers as the auction’s top buy.
Who is the costliest Indian player in Butterfly UTT 2026? Diya Chitale, picked up by PBG Pune Jaguars, was the most expensive Indian buy.
Which is the new team in UTT Season 7? UP Prometheans are the debutant franchise, expanding the league into Uttar Pradesh.
When and where is Butterfly UTT 2026 held? July 9–26, 2026, at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Goa, live on Star Sports Network and JioHotstar.
Squad details are based on the Season 7 auction. Line-ups and playing combinations can change ahead of the first serve on July 9 — check the official UTT channels for the latest confirmations.
