Ultimate Table Tennis champions Falcons TTC opt to retain Soumyadeep Roy in coaches' draft pick

Mumbai: Defending champions Falcons TTC chose to go with their winning coach for the second edition of the Ultimate Table Tennis League, opting for Soumyadeep Roy in the draft pick for coaches. The league will take place from 14 June to 1 July. [caption id=“attachment_4368725” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Falcons TTC won the inaugural Ultimate Table Tennis in 2017. Image courtesy: Ultimate Table Tennis via Facebook[/caption] The Falcons, who got the opportunity to choose their coach first after the draw of lots, opted for the 34-year-old 2006 Commonwealth Games’ gold medallist who is now the coach of the Indian team. The Yoddhas, who were next in line, swooped in on Hungary’s Ferenc Karsai, a coach with over 25 years’ of experience at the highest level. He was at the helm for DHFL Maharashtra United last season, a media release said. The RP-SG Mavericks showed faith in an Indian, opting for Arup Basak as their first choice coach. The Challengers and the Yoddhas managed to get back their previous coaches, A Muralidhara Rao and Sandeep Gupta, to make it a grand day for Indians. The Challengers, Dabangg Smashers and Maha United opted for Peter Engel (Germany), Andrei Filimon (Romania) and Francisco Santos (Portugal) respectively to complete Round 1. In the next round, the order was reversed, mandating Maha United to pick the best available Indian coach and they zeroed in on N Ravichandran. Sachin Shetty, Elena Timina of Netherlands and Slovenia’s Vesna Ojstersekwere chosen by Smashers, Mavericks and Falcons in the second round. The coaches line-up: Falcons TTC: Soumyadeep Roy & Vesna Ojstersek (Slovenia) Yoddhas: Sandeep Gupta & Ferenc Karsai (Hungary) RP-SG Mavericks: Arup Basak & Elena Timina (Netherlands) Challengers: A Muralidhara Rao & Peter Engel (Germany) Dabang Smashers TTC: Sachin Shetty & Andrei Filimon (Romania) DHFL Maharashtra United: N Ravichandran & Francisco Santos (Portugal).