Kolkata ThunderBlades announced as new team, Bengaluru owners shift base to Pune in major development ahead of UTT 2025

Ultimate Table Tennis have unveiled Kolkata ThunderBlades as a new team ahead of the upcoming season. The sixth edition of the Ultimate Table Tennis will take place in Ahmedabad from May 29 to June 15.

The Kolkata ThunderBlades is owned by Ketan Jain and Rajat Kumar, former national-level table tennis players. They have also roped in the services of Anshul Garg, who will serve as the Team Director. Anshul has ample experience on his back, having successful stints in Ultimate Table Tennis during Seasons 4 & 5.

Ketan expressed excitement about the franchise’s involvement. He was quoted as saying in the press release:

“We are eager to build a competitive team in Kolkata, which has a strong sporting culture, and bring the city’s fans something to rally behind.”

Meanwhile, Puneri Paltan TT have decided to exit the Ultimate Tennis Tennis after three seasons. They made their UTT debut in Season 3 and had a forgetful start, finishing last in the standings with 27 points from five ties.

The Pune-based franchise finished third in UTT Season 4 with 38 points from five ties. They qualified for the semi-finals but crashed out after losing 8-3 to the Chennai Lions. Puneri Paltan TT had a poor outing in Season 5 too, finishing seventh in the standings with 31 points from five ties.

Punit Balan Group's PBG Bengaluru Smashers will be rebranded as PBG Pune Jaguars for the upcoming edition of the Ultimate Table Tennis in Ahmedabad.

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UTT 2025: All You Need to Know about the format

Eight teams will be drawn into two groups of four teams each. Each team will play five ties. The teams will play against the teams in their group and two teams from the other group.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals, which will be followed by the final on June 15 in Ahmedabad.