Everything you need to understand Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7 in one place. This guide covers the Butterfly UTT 2026 auction — the top buys, retentions and team-wise signings — and then breaks down the format, rules, golden point and prize money so you can follow the season like a pro.
Part 1 — The Butterfly UTT 2026 Auction
Auction Key Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Auction date | April 28, 2026 |
| Venue | Sahara Star, Mumbai |
| Teams | 7 franchises |
| Purse per team | 1 crore tokens |
| Squad size | 6 players (2 overseas: 1M + 1W; 4 Indians: 2M + 2W) |
| Base price pools | ₹20 lakh, ₹12 lakh, ₹7 lakh, ₹3 lakh (bidding in 20,000-token increments) |
Four franchises — U Mumba TT, Dabang Delhi T.T.C., Ahmedabad APL Pipers and Kolkata ThunderBlades — used retentions, while Dempo Goa Challengers, PBG Pune Jaguars and debutants UP Prometheans entered with a full purse.
UTT 2026 Auction Top Buys
Romania’s Bernadette Szocs was the most expensive signing of the auction, snapped up by Dempo Goa Challengers. India’s Diya Chitale topped the domestic charts for a second successive season, while the return of Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar — back after a year on the international circuit — triggered spirited 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 |
| 6 | Sofia Polcanova (Austria) | Ahmedabad APL Pipers | 27.20 lakh |
(Figures are as reported from the auction; minor variations appear across sources.)
UTT 2026 Retained Players
| Player | Team |
|---|---|
| Manika Batra | Ahmedabad APL Pipers |
| Sathiyan Gnanasekaran | Dabang Delhi T.T.C. |
| Akash Pal | U Mumba TT |
| Ankur Bhattacharjee | Kolkata ThunderBlades |
Retaining Sathiyan extended his long, unbroken association with the Delhi franchise, while Ahmedabad kept Indian icon Manika Batra as the centrepiece of their squad.
Team-by-Team Signings
U Mumba TT: Manush Shah, Lilian Bardet (France), Anna Hursey (Wales), Nityashree Mani, Anusha Kutumbale — with Akash Pal retained.
Dempo Goa Challengers: Bernadette Szocs (Romania), Alvaro Robles (Spain), Syndrela Das, Divyanshi Srivastava, Ananya Chande, Abhinandh PB.
Dabang Delhi T.T.C.: Maria Xiao (Spain), Youssef Abdelaziz (Egypt), Divyanshi Bhowmick, Sutirtha Mukherjee, Raegan Albuquerque — with Sathiyan Gnanasekaran retained.
PBG Pune Jaguars: Diya Chitale, Prithika Pavade (France), Omar Assar (Egypt), Snehit Suravajjula, Mudit Dani, Sayanika Maji.
Ahmedabad APL Pipers: Sofia Polcanova (Austria), Adrien Rassenfosse (Belgium), Payas Jain, Sanil Shetty, Kavya Bhatt — with Manika Batra retained.
Kolkata ThunderBlades: Eduard Ionescu (Romania), Zeng Jian (Singapore), Jeet Chandra, Ayhika Mukherjee, Taneesha Kotecha — with Ankur Bhattacharjee retained.
UP Prometheans: Manav Thakkar, Yangzi Liu (Australia), Sudhanshu Grover, Swastika Ghosh, Sayali Wani. (Verify the franchise’s overseas men’s signing before publishing.)
Talking Points from the Auction
A statement debut. New franchise UP Prometheans went big early, landing Manav Thakkar and Yangzi Liu to signal serious intent from their first season.
Chitale’s premium continues. For the second season running, Diya Chitale was the costliest Indian buy — a reflection of her rising stature in the women’s and mixed-doubles game.
A world-class overseas field. From Szocs and Polcanova to Robles, Assar and Pavade, the international contingent brings genuine global pedigree to Goa.
Part 2 — Butterfly UTT 2026 Format, Rules & Prize Money
How the Format Works
Season 7 features seven teams in a single round-robin league stage — every team plays each of the others once. The top four teams then advance to the knockout stage: two semi-finals followed by the grand final.
- League stage: July 9 – July 23
- Semi-finals: July 24 (1st vs 4th) and July 25 (2nd vs 3rd)
- Grand final: July 26
What Is a “Tie” in UTT?
In UTT, a single contest between two teams is called a tie, and each tie is made up of five matches played in a fixed order:
- Men’s singles
- Women’s singles
- Mixed doubles
- Men’s singles
- Women’s singles
Each of those five matches is played over three games, so a full tie consists of 15 games in total.
How UTT Scoring Works (Games, Not Matches)
This is the twist that makes UTT unique: the winner of a tie is decided by the total number of games won, not matches won.
- Every game is played to 11 points.
- If the score reaches 10-10, the very next point is the Golden Point — sudden death, and whoever wins it takes the game.
- Each game won = one team point.
- The team that wins 8 or more of the 15 games wins the tie.
In the league stage, all five matches (15 games) are played regardless of whether a team has already reached the winning eight — which keeps net games alive as a tiebreaker. In the knockouts, the tie ends as soon as one team reaches eight games.
Player Participation Rules
- No player can play more than two matches in a single tie.
- No player can play more than one singles match in a tie (though they may also feature in the mixed doubles).
How the Standings Are Decided
League positions are ranked by total games won. If teams are level, the tiebreakers are applied in order: head-to-head result, then ties won, then matches won.
Butterfly UTT 2026 Prize Money
UTT’s prize pot has grown steadily as the league has professionalised. Official Season 7 figures are best confirmed via UTT’s own channels closer to the final, but based on reported figures from recent editions, the champions have taken home a purse in the region of ₹60 lakh, with the runners-up receiving around ₹40 lakh. Treat these as indicative of recent seasons rather than a confirmed Season 7 figure — we’ll update this section once the official numbers are announced.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
When was the UTT 2026 auction held? On April 28, 2026, at Sahara Star in Mumbai.
Who was the most expensive player in the UTT 2026 auction? Bernadette Szocs of Romania, bought by Dempo Goa Challengers.
Who was the costliest Indian buy? Diya Chitale, signed by PBG Pune Jaguars.
Which players were retained for Season 7? Manika Batra (Ahmedabad), Sathiyan Gnanasekaran (Delhi), Akash Pal (U Mumba) and Ankur Bhattacharjee (Kolkata).
How many games are in a UTT tie? Five matches of three games each — 15 games in total.
How do you win a UTT tie? By winning eight or more of the 15 games. The winner is decided by games won, not matches won.
What is the Golden Point in UTT? When a game is tied 10-10, the next point is sudden death — the Golden Point — and it decides the game.
How many teams qualify for the UTT 2026 playoffs? The top four teams from the league stage reach the semi-finals.
What is the UTT 2026 prize money? Reported figures from recent seasons put the winner’s purse around ₹60 lakh and the runner-up’s around ₹40 lakh; official Season 7 figures should be confirmed via UTT’s channels.
For the complete rosters see our full Butterfly UTT 2026 squads guide, plan your viewing with the Season 7 schedule, and follow the live points table through the tournament.
