UTT: Ahmedabad SG Pipers, Jaipur Patriots eye maiden knockout berth

Chennai, Sep 3 (IANS) Pushed to the fifth spot on the leaderboard, Ahmedabad SG Pipers will have one final opportunity to stake their claim in the knockouts when they lock horns with Jaipur Patriots in the clash of debutants of Ultimate Table Tennis 2024, on Wednesday.Heading into the final league match of UTT 2024, both teams are separated by a five-point margin, with the Ahmedabad SG Pipers sitting at fifth with 30 points in their kitty while the Jaipur Patriots are at 8th with 25 points. The equations can quickly change as has been witnessed throughout the season, and thus both teams still fancy an outside chance of making it to the semifinals.As a result, one can expect a tantalising contest between the first-timers of UTT 2024 with both outfits boasting of a number of players capable of turning the tide in favour of their respective teams.The Ahmedabad-based outfit will be pinning their hopes on the highest-ranked player of the tournament in World No.13 Bernadette Szocs, and the Romanian star’s potential clash against Jaipur Patriots’ Thai recruit Suthasini Sawettabut could be the highlight of the day. Manush Shah and Lilian Bardet of France will also be expected to shoulder the responsibility of giving Ahmedabad SG Pipers the much-needed push.On the other hand, the Jaipur Patriots will be expecting the likes of South Korean star Cho Seungmin, Moumita Dutta and Snehit SFR to keep them ahead in the race to the knockouts.SquadsAhmedabad SG Pipers: Manush Shah, Bernadette Szocs (Romania), Lilian Bardet (France), Reeth Tennison, Kritikwa Sinha Roy, Jash ModiJaipur Patriots: Cho Seungmin (South Korea), Suthasini Sawettabut (Thailand), Snehit SFR, Ronit Bhanja, Moumita Dutta, Nithyashree Mani--IANShs/bc

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