WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026 Champions Return as Doubles Teams Confirmed

World Table Tennis has published the confirmed doubles player lists for WTT Star Contender Chennai 2026, and India’s leading combinations head the seedings as the tournament moves to Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University from February 10 to 15. Men’s doubles top seeds are Manush Shah and Manav Thakkar, while Manush Shah and Diya Chitale will spearhead India’s mixed-doubles challenge after winning the WTT Contender Muscat 2026 and becoming India’s first-ever WTT Finals qualifiers.

The tournament will feature 167 players from 17 countries, including 90 Indian entries and 77 foreign players. The event uses a knockout format with qualifying rounds preceding the main draw; the main draw begins on February 12. The organisers have increased the total prize purse to USD 300,000, up from USD 275,000 in 2025. Singles winners will receive USD 17,000 and 600 ranking points; doubles champions will earn USD 5,500 and 600 ranking points, making doubles outcomes highly valuable for ranking movement early in the season.

Confirmed doubles wildcards and notable pairings sharpen the draw. Men’s doubles wildcard entries include Mudit Dani and Anirban Ghosh, and the Swedish combination of Kristian Karlsson and Elias Ranefur. The women’s doubles wildcard pairing lists Swastika Ghosh with Sarah De Nutte, and the mixed-doubles wildcard was awarded to Syndrela Das and Payas Jain. Reigning champions Oh Jun-sung of Korea and Miwa Harimoto of Japan are listed as headliners in the field, and Harimoto’s 2025 run is a reminder of Chennai’s ability to produce breakout moments; Harimoto, aged 16 in 2025, beat Honoka Hashimoto 4-2 to win the Women’s Singles crown that year.

India’s doubles depth reads like a who’s who of domestic strength. Manav Thakkar, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Manush Shah, Harmeet Desai and Ayhika Mukherjee are key senior names, while young prospects Yashaswini Ghorpade, Diya Chitale and Snehit Suravajjula feature among those who can cause upsets. The entry lists also include host wildcards and youth nominees across singles and doubles: Anirban Ghosh, Divyansh Srivastava, Priyanuj, Remi Betelu, Abhinandh Pradhivadhi, Divyanshi Bhowmicki, Anusha, Sayali Wani, Kavya Bhatt and Taneesha Kotecha. WTT nominations include Ryu Hanna and Kotomi Omoda in the women’s draw, and Kang Dongsoo and Esteban Dorr in the men’s draw.

Achanta Sharath Kamal returns as tournament director after retiring from professional play at Chennai last year, overseeing what is the second time the city has hosted a Star Contender and the fourth Star Contender staged in India. World Table Tennis noted, "With just over two weeks to go" as confirmed lists were released.

A few details still need final confirmation: Manav Thakkar’s current world ranking appears inconsistently across reports, and the full, discipline-by-discipline doubles seed lists and complete draws should be checked on the official WTT entry release for final pairings and seedings. For fans and coaches, the headline is clear: Chennai’s doubles line-up is strong, ranking points and prize money matter, and the main-draw battles from February 12 will be decisive for players chasing early-season momentum.