PBG Pune Jaguars doubled down on proven Indian excellence at the Butterfly Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) Season 7 auction on Tuesday, with Diya Chitale emerging as the highest-valued Indian player for the second year running at 37.4 L tokens, reaffirming her status as one of the league’s central figures.
Backing Chitale, Pune brought in France’s Prithika Pavade and Egypt’s Omar Assar, while strengthening their domestic lineup with Snehit SFR, Mudit Dani, and Sayanika Maji.
Commenting on the auction, UTT Co-Promoter Mrs. Vita Dani said: “The auction once again reflected the depth and quality that Butterfly UTT has built over the years. It was encouraging to see teams invest in both proven international names and emerging Indian players.”
Pune’s approach meant building around a dependable Indian core and surrounding it with global experience and tactical depth.
Speaking on the occasion, team owner Punit Balan said, “Diya is already among the best players in the world, and we’re thrilled to have her as a central part of our plans. Around her, we’ve focused on building a strong, well-rounded unit."
With a settled core and depth across categories, Pune Jaguars head into Season 7 with a squad built for consistency and impact. The league will be broadcast on the JioStar Network and streamed on JioHotstar.
Butterfly UTT Season 7 will feature seven teams competing in a single round-robin format, where each team will face every other team once in the league phase. The top four teams will progress to the knockout stage.