Chennai has hosted two World Table Tennis (WTT) Star Contender events in two years. The first, from 25 to 30 March 2025 at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, was organised by Stupa Sports Analytics and Ultimate Table Tennis with the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT), the organisers announced. The second ran from 10 to 15 February 2026 at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University, with a bigger purse of USD 300,000.
The city’s link to the sport runs through one man more than any other: Sharath Kamal, who retired at the 2025 event in his home town. Here is what Chennai has in the sport now, from the international events to where a beginner can pick up a bat.
Sharath Kamal’s farewell and legacy
The ITTF’s career summary lists 13 Commonwealth Games medals, seven of them gold, five Olympic appearances from Athens 2004 to Paris 2024, where he was India’s flag bearer, and a record 10 national titles beginning in 2003. His last match came in the round of 16 of the 2025 Chennai event, a straight-games loss to his doubles partner Snehit Suravajjula.
He has stayed in the sport. For the 2026 Chennai event he served as tournament director, and the finals were co-hosted by Ultimate Table Tennis and the Sharath Kamal Academy.
WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026 in numbers
| Item | 2026 figure |
|---|---|
| Dates | 10 to 15 February 2026 |
| Venue | Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University |
| Total prize money | USD 300,000 (USD 275,000 in 2025) |
| Singles winner’s share | USD 17,000 and 600 ranking points |
| Players | 167 from 17 countries, 90 of them Indian |
Figures are from the organisers’ preview. In the finals on 15 February, Czechia’s Lubomir Jancarik won the men’s singles and Japan’s Satsuki Odo the women’s singles. The Indian pair of Harmeet Desai and Yashaswini Ghorpade lost the mixed doubles final to Romania’s Eduard Ionescu and Bernadette Szocs, the finals report said.
No date for a 2027 Chennai edition had been announced by mid-October 2026.
Chennai Lions and the league
Chennai’s franchise in the Ultimate Table Tennis league, the Chennai Lions, won the Season 3 title in 2019, beating Dabang Delhi 8-1 in the final with Sharath in form, The Bridge reported. The team is no longer in the league: UP Prometheans joined as a replacement after the Lions exited, ahead of the seventh season, according to a March 2026 report. The report did not give a reason.
Where to train and play in Chennai
The state’s Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department lists several public routes into the sport in its policy notes:
- Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Periamet. The 2023-24 policy note lists table tennis among the games practised at the indoor stadium. Ask the SDAT office there about membership and batch timings.
- AKG Table Tennis Academy, Chennai. The 2024-25 policy note names it as one of two specialised table tennis academies in the state, the other being in Madurai.
- Centre of Excellence at Melakottaiyur. The same note lists table tennis among the disciplines at the Centre of Excellence on the sports university campus, for boys and girls. Entry is through SDAT selection trials.
- Chief Minister’s Trophy. The annual state games include table tennis singles and doubles for school and college students and for differently abled players.
- Club and private academies. State-ranking tournaments are run by clubs and associations; a 2022 Chennai event was organised by the Tamizhaga Table Tennis Association, DT Next reported. Ranking events are the route to state and national selection.
Getting a child started
- Start at a club or indoor stadium with a coach; basic rubber-faced bats are fine for the first months.
- Ask the coach about the state ranking calendar and age groups, which run from under-11 upwards.
- Watch for SDAT’s sports hostel and Centre of Excellence trials, usually announced in April and May.
- Keep certificates from every state-level event; they count for sports quota claims later.
Quick answers
When was the last WTT event in Chennai?
WTT Star Contender Chennai ran from 10 to 15 February 2026 at the sports university in Melakottaiyur.
Where did Sharath Kamal retire?
At WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025, at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, in March 2025.
Are the Chennai Lions still in UTT?
No. UP Prometheans replaced them ahead of the 2026 season.
Is there public table tennis coaching in Chennai?
Yes. SDAT lists table tennis at Nehru Indoor Stadium and at the Centre of Excellence in Melakottaiyur; check fees and batches with the venue office.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Chennai to host its first-ever WTT Star Contender event (Ultimate Table Tennis)
- Sharath Kamal set to retire (ITTF)
- WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026 returns with increased prize money and a new venue (Ultimate Table Tennis)
- WTT Star Contender 2026 finals report (Ultimate Table Tennis)
- Chennai Lions claim UTT Season 3 title (The Bridge)
- UP Prometheans replace Chennai Lions (The Bridge)
- Policy Note 2024-25, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- Policy Note 2023-24, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department (Government of Tamil Nadu)
- State-ranking TT tourney report (DT Next)
