U Mumba TT, the defending champion, is in a spot of bother. After losing both its opening ties in Ultimate Table Tennis Season 7, it now needs victories to keep its play-off hopes alive. It opened with a 5-10 defeat to Dempo Goa Challengers before going down 6-9 to Ahmedabad APL Pipers.
Its coaches, Irishman John Murphy and Indian Jay Modak, however, remain confident despite the slow start. The short break in the schedule, they believe, has allowed the squad to regroup ahead of Wednesday’s clash with unbeaten Dabang Delhi at 7.30 p.m.
“We are well accustomed to winning. Of course, we didn’t start Season 7 as we had hoped. In the first match, I think we were caught a bit off guard. A lot of our players, both Indian and international, came from the U.S. Smash tournament. From our team, there were Bernadette Szocs, Lilian Bardet and Alvaro Robles. There were also players from other franchises who competed there. Playing the first tie was obviously a little more difficult because we had one day less to recover from jet lag and prepare. We’ve been lucky to have a little bit of a break and to come back fresh on the 15th. The camaraderie in the group is very strong,” said Murphy.
Modak believes one good tie is all the defending champion needs to get back on track.
“To be honest, it is not very difficult because all the teams are evenly matched. It’s more to do with the team environment, which is now gelling well. Against Ahmedabad, we couldn’t convert our chances because three golden points didn’t go our way. Moving forward, we should do well. One good tie, say a 10-5 win, and we will be right back up there,” he said.
Murphy also believes the newly introduced Table Tennis Review (TTR) can be used tactically.
“It takes quite some time to get a decision from TTR. Therefore, I think it can be tactically used as a stoppage in play. In many ways, it can almost serve as a timeout. That’s probably its biggest effect, apart from what it is actually there for, which is ensuring fairness,” he said.
Modak, meanwhile, sees a longer-term benefit in TTR for Indian players.
“In the first season itself, TTR is helping players because Indian paddlers are being educated at the ground level, which is the most important thing. The whole idea is that a player should be aware of how he or she is serving. That awareness becomes invaluable when they go on to compete in major events and Smash tournaments,” he said.
Beyond its impact this season, Murphy credits UTT with helping raise the standard of Indian table tennis since its inception in 2017.
“It’s a crazy camaraderie because players from different countries come together for a short period of time. It’s very special. UTT has been amazing for Indian players. From its first season, the level of Indian table tennis has gone through the roof. If you look at the number of young Indian players competing regularly on the WTT circuit, both at the youth and senior levels, I have never seen Indian table tennis possess such depth and quality,” said Murphy, who has coached Ireland and Australia and is currently senior coach with Table Tennis England.
Murphy also praised his coaching partnership with Modak.
“We have a very common understanding of table tennis. Jay is doing an amazing job in India, having coached players like Taneesha Kotecha and Sayali Wani. He has tremendous knowledge, works extremely hard and enjoys an unbelievable rapport with the players. He’s able to get the best out of them in difficult situations. I mainly work with the boys and he with the girls, so the roles are pretty well defined,” he said.
Published on Jul 15, 2026
