Then, Mumba captain and World No. 12 Bernadette Szocs emerged as the star of the night, ending Sreeja Akula’s unbeaten run with a 2-1 win.

Szocs showcased her variety in serves and kept her composure in long rallies to clinch the decider 11-5.

Szocs then teamed up with Akash Pal for a dominant 3-0 victory in the mixed doubles against Jeet Chandra and Britt Eerland, extending U Mumba’s lead.

Chandra pulled one back for Jaipur with a 2-1 win over P B Abhinandh, but it was not enough to stop U Mumba.

U Mumba earned Rs 60 lakh as champions, while runners-up Jaipur Patriots took home Rs 40 lakh. Semifinalists Dabang Delhi TTC and the Challengers received Rs 17.5 lakh each.

For their performances in the final, Akash and Szocs were named the Indian and Foreign Player of the Final, respectively, while Jeet Chandra claimed the Shot of the Final.

Although Yashaswini Ghorpade didn’t feature in the final, her standout semi-final display epitomised U Mumba’s collective strength this season—hallmarks of a campaign expertly managed from the dugout by coaches John Murphy and Jay Modak.

Dempo Goa Challengers’ skipper Harmeet Desai and U Mumba TT captain Bernadette Szocs were named the Male and Female MVPs of UTT Season 6, respectively, for their standout performances, while the Shot of the League went to Adriana Diaz for her stunning winner against Krittwika Sinha Roy in Kolkata ThunderBlades’ league stage tie against Goa.

All 23 ties, over 16 action-packed days, took place at Ahmedabad’s EKA Arena.

Results (Final)

U Mumba 8-4 Jaipur Patriots [Lilian Bardet b Kanak Jha 2-1 (4-11, 11-5, 11-7); Bernadette Szocs b Sreeja Akula 2-1 (11-9, 10-11, 11-5); Akash Pal/Bernadette Szocs b Jeet Chandra/Britt Eerland 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-5); P B Abhinandh lost to Jeet Chandra 1-2 (5-11, 8-11, 11-8)].

(With agency inputs)