- 59 Gujarat and national paddlers undergo hammers for GSL Season 2 in Ahmedabad
- The prize money will be Rs 7 lakh in this season which was Rs 5 lakh in the first edition
- Six teams, including last season’s winners and runners-up, competed in the auction with a budget of ₹3,20,000 each
NE SPORTS BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, JULY 6
Six teams will be vying for the title in the second edition of the Gujarat Super League (GSL) Table Tennis, which will be tentatively held from August 13-17 in Surat, with the top two teams at the end of the league stage contesting the final. The prize money will be Rs 7 lakh in this season which was Rs 5 lakh in the first edition, announced the organizers here on Friday.
The six teams are Tapti Tigers (Winner of season 1), Shamal Squad (Runners-up of Season 1), Bhayani Stars, Kataria Kings, Multimet Marvels and Topnotch Achievers.
The matches will be held in Surat and open for all sports enthusiasts.
As many as 59 state and national paddlers went under the hammer at the players’ auction for Gujarat Super League (GSL) Table Tennis season-2 held at Topspin Club in Ahmedabad here on Friday.
GSL is an initiative of Gujarat State Table Tennis Association (GSTTA) and its first season was held at Transstadia, Ahmedabad in August 2022. It was spearheaded by Vipul Mitra, IAS.
India’s ranked no. 1 Harmeet Desai and second-ranked Manav Thakkar (both from Surat)-have been retained by their respective teams from last season.
India no. 3 and Vadodara’s Manush Shah and state no.1 women’s paddler Krittiwika Sinha Roy of Surat were part of the auction.
Top paddlers like Asian Games medallist Sutirtha Mukherjee, reigning women’s National Champion Poymantee Baisya and CWG gold medallist Sanil Shetty remained the star players in Friday’s auction.
Speaking with the media, Secretary, GSTTA, Kushal Sangtani said: “After the successful completion of Season 1, I am excited to witness the Season 2 auction. Top players, including two Olympians-Harmeet and Manav-are part of the league. Also, the team owners had a total wallet of Rs 3,20,000 each to spend at the auction.”
Kantibhai Bhuva, chairman, GSL TT governing council said: “GSL Season 2 will be bigger and better than Season 1. The main objective of holding this tournament is to promote table tennis game among the youngsters. This will instill competitive spirit and sportsmanship which will help to make a career in sports.”
Each team’s composition will be 1. National Player (Male); 2. National Player (Female); 3. State Player (Male); 4. State Player (Female); 5. Veteran Player; 6. National Coach, and 7. State Coach
List of Retained Players/Coaches
- Kataria Kings: National Coach: Anshul Garg; State Coach: Nilay Vyas. State Player (Male): Soham Bhattacharya
- Bhayani Stars: State Coach: Vahed Malubhai
- Tapti Tiger: National Coach: Ravi Chandran, State Coach: Hraday Desai, State Player (Female): Filzah Fatema Kadri
- TopNotch Achievers: National Coach: Anol Kashyap, State Coach: Sailesh Gosai, and State Player (Male): Chitrax Bhatt
- Multimet Marvels: State Coach: Mihir Gandhi, National Player: Harmeet Desai
- Shamal Squad: National Coach: Parag Agarwal, National Player (Male): Manav Thakkar.
Health benefits
- Improving hand-eye coordination. An intense game of table tennis stimulates mental alertness and concentration and develops mental acuity.
- Improving reflexes. Due to the fast-paced, short-distance nature of the sport, both gross and fine muscle movements are improved.
- It’s easy on the joints. Table tennis is the perfect choice for people who had knee surgery, history of back problems, or simply those who are tired of twisting their ankles while playing some other sports.
- It burns calories. Hate going to the gym? Try table tennis instead. It’s a fun & easy way to burn calories.
- It’s a social sport. Social interaction is very important for mental health. In a world so connected through technology, people are feeling more and more disconnected from each other. Table tennis offers you a chance to #UnPlugNPlay, step away from the screen, and bond with the person on the other side of the ping pong table.
- It keeps your brain sharp. Renowned physician, psychiatrist and brain imaging expert, Dr Daniel Amen, calls table tennis “the world’s best brain sport” because it is highly aerobic, uses both the upper and lower body, and is great for eye hand coordination and reflexes. Table tennis also utilizes many different areas of the brain simultaneously as you are tracking the ball, planning shots and strategies, and figuring out spins.
- Table tennis is utilized a treatment for dementia. Five years ago, the Sport and Art Educational Foundation started a table tennis therapy program, which was designed for seniors with early stage Alzheimer’s and various forms of dementia. Because table tennis activates various areas of the brain simultaneously, players can stimulate their overall state of awareness.
- It improves balance. Staying balanced and being able to quickly change direction is key to being a good table tennis player. The more you play, the more you can improve your sense of balance.
