Manika Batra Leads PBG Bengaluru Smashers Against Athlead Goa Challengers in Ultimate Table Tennis Semi-Final
World number 25 Manika Batra will spearhead PBG Bengaluru Smashers’ challenge when they face defending champions Athlead Goa Challengers in the first semi-final of the Ultimate Table Tennis 2024. The match will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai on Thursday.
As the tournament reaches its crucial knockout stage, PBG Bengaluru Smashers, who finished as leaders on the points table with 48 points, will be looking to continue their dominant run. They have won four out of their five league stage ties. In contrast, Athlead Goa Challengers finished fourth but are the reigning champions and will rely on their experience to reach another final.
The PBG Bengaluru Smashers will depend on the experience of Manika Batra, American Lily Zhang, and Spanish star Alvaro Robles, along with young talents like Jeet Chandra and Taneesha Kotecha. Meanwhile, Athlead Goa Challengers will count on two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist Harmeet Desai, Italian Mihai Bobocica, and Australian Yangzi Liu. Yashaswini Ghorpade, in excellent form, could be a key player in her potential clash against Lily Zhang.
Squads
PBG Bengaluru Smashers
Manika Batra, Alvaro Robles (Spain), Lily Zhang (USA), Jeet Chandra, Taneesha Kotecha, Amalraj Anthony.
Athlead Goa Challengers
Harmeet Desai, Yangzi Liu (Australia), Yashaswini Ghorpade, Sudhanshu Grover, Sayali Wani, Mihai Bobocica (Italy).
Doubts Revealed
Manika Batra -: Manika Batra is a famous Indian table tennis player. She is very good at playing table tennis and is ranked number 25 in the world.
PBG Bengaluru Smashers -: PBG Bengaluru Smashers is a team that plays table tennis in a big competition called Ultimate Table Tennis. They are from Bengaluru, a city in India.
Athlead Goa Challengers -: Athlead Goa Challengers is another team in the Ultimate Table Tennis competition. They are from Goa, another place in India.
Ultimate Table Tennis -: Ultimate Table Tennis is a big table tennis competition in India where different teams play against each other to win.
Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium -: Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium is a big place in Chennai, India, where people can watch sports like table tennis.
Lily Zhang -: Lily Zhang is a table tennis player who plays for the PBG Bengaluru Smashers team.
Alvaro Robles -: Alvaro Robles is another table tennis player who plays for the PBG Bengaluru Smashers team.
Harmeet Desai -: Harmeet Desai is a table tennis player who plays for the Athlead Goa Challengers team.
Mihai Bobocica -: Mihai Bobocica is a table tennis player who plays for the Athlead Goa Challengers team.
Yangzi Liu -: Yangzi Liu is another table tennis player who plays for the Athlead Goa Challengers team.
