The Reserve Bank ofIndia’s (RBI) women’s team made a dominant start at the RBI@90 51stInstitutional Table Tennis Championships, securing their place in thequarterfinals with a perfect 4-point finish in Group B at the Panjab UniversityGymnasium Hall.
RBI, seeded second, playedtwo matches today and claimed comprehensive 3-0 victories in both. Their firstwin came against Canara Bank, followed by another 3-0 triumph over the IndianAudit and Accounts Department. With a third-round match against the depletedDepartment of Atomic Energy still to come, RBI’s quarterfinal berth is aformality.
The RBI squad, known forits consistency, relied on their top players—Ayhika Mukherjee, Sreeja Akula,and Diya Chitale—to maintain a flawless record. Diya was in top form, defeatingAnanya Chande from Canara Bank 3-0 after a thrilling second game that went to15-13 (11-4, 15-13, 11-8). Sreeja, despite losing a game to Maria Rony, bouncedback to win 3-1 (11-5, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6). Ayhika sealed the deal with acommanding 3-0 win over Vanshika Deshna, further demonstrating RBI’s strength.
Meanwhile, in Group A, thetop-seeded Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) faced more challenges butstill booked their quarterfinal spot. They began with a 3-1 victory over FoodCorporation of India (FCI) in the morning session. However, FCI’s young talent,Vanshika Mudgal, delivered a surprise when she defeated Sutirtha Mukherjee 3-1(11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 11-9). The loss briefly put RSPB on the back foot, butSutirtha bounced back, defeating Prithoki Chakraborty 3-1 to avoid furtherupset. Later, RSPB completed their Group A campaign with a 3-0 victory overCentral Revenue, solidifying their place in the quarterfinals with two winsfrom two.
In Group C, the PetroleumSports Promotion Board (PSPB) women used strategic team selections to stay incontrol. Veteran Mouma Das was included as the third player in their lineup,which proved successful as they defeated ESIC 3-0. The team’s younger players,Yashaswini Ghorpade and Pritha Vartikar, made strong starts to ensure theirteam’s commanding lead. Later, Reeth Rishya and Sayali Wani stepped in, andPetroleum easily defeated the Airports Authority of India 3-0 to confirm theirplace in the quarterfinals. The team’s combination of experience and youthproved key in both victories.
The PSPB men had astraightforward run, registering 3-0 victories over ESIC and Canara Bank intheir Group A encounters. PSPB tested their bench strength, with recent recruitP.B. Abhinand partnering with Anthony Amalraj and Harmeet Desai. In the secondmatch, Manav Thakkar replaced Amalraj, showing depth in their squad. G.Sathiyan, who has yet to compete, seems rested for the upcoming knockoutrounds, ensuring PSPB’s strength is preserved for the tougher challenges ahead.
The RBI’s men kept a cleanslate—they won both their ties—first beating Air Force SCB and then CentralRevenue Sports Board, secured their top spot in Group C and entered thequarterfinals. Regardless of the result, CRSB looks to book the second spot inthe group to progress to the quarterfinal.
Results (Team Championships):
Men: (Rounds 1 and 2):
Group A: PSPB bt ESIC 3-0;PSPB bt Canara Bank 3-0.
Group B: RSPB bt DefenceAccounts 3-0; RSPB bt FCI 3-0.
Group C: RBI bt Air ForceSCB 3-0; RBI bt Central Revenue 3-0
Group D: AAI bt BSNL 3-0, IA&AD bt DAE 3-0; BSNLbt DAE 3-0
Women: (Rounds 1 and 2):
Group A: RSPB bt FCI 3-1;RSPB bt CRSB 3-0
Group B: RBI bt CanaraBank 3-0, IA&AD bt DAE 3-0; Canara Bank bt DAE 3-0, RBI bt IA&AD 3-0.
Group C: PSPB bt ESIC 3-0, AAI bt BSNL 3-0; PSPB btAAI 3-0, ESIC bt BSNL 3-0.
====