TOISA 2025 Nominees: Honouring brilliance in table tennis

The eighth edition of the Times of India Sports Awards (TOISA) is scheduled for March 21, 2026, in Lucknow, where India’s top athletes will be celebrated for their achievements and inspiring journeys across a variety of sports.

TOISA 2025 will honour performances recorded between January 1 and December 31, 2025, highlighting standout results at major international competitions and global championships. With more than 45 categories, the awards will recognise both celebrated veterans and emerging talents who have brought pride to the country.The winners will be decided by an eminent jury of sporting legends, including Abhinav Bindra, PR Sreejesh, Mithali Raj, Devendra Jhajharia, Sharath Kamal, and Leander Paes, ensuring a fair and expert assessment of excellence in Indian sport.

Table Tennis – MaleSharath Kamal AchantaDate of Birth: July 12, 1982Place of Birth: Chennai, Tamil NaduSport: Table TennisMajor Achievements in 2025:WTT Star Contender Chennai: Competed in his final professional tournament in March 2025.Asian Cup (Shenzhen): Secured a dominant 3-0 group-stage victory over Yemen’s Ebrahim Gubran.Officially retired from professional table tennis after a 22-year career.

The legendary "face of Indian table tennis" brought his illustrious career to a poignant close in 2025. Playing his final competitive tournament in front of his home crowd in Chennai, the 42-year-old was honoured for a legacy that includes 10 National titles and 13 Commonwealth Games medals. Even in his farewell season, Sharath remained highly competitive, entering the year as India’s second-highest-ranked player at World No.

42 and proving his enduring class at the Asian Cup in China before transitioning into a full-time mentorship role.Sathiyan GnanasekaranDate of Birth: January 8, 1993Place of Birth: Chennai, Tamil NaduSport: Table TennisMajor Achievements in 2025:WTT Feeder Vientiane (Laos): Gold (Men’s Singles Champion)UTT National Ranking Table Tennis Championship: Gold (Men’s Singles Champion)WTT Contender Lagos: Gold (Men’s Doubles with Akash Pal)World Table Tennis Championships (Durban): Quarter-finalistWTT Feeder Istanbul: Silver (Men’s Singles Runner-up)Sathiyan Gnanasekaran enjoyed a powerful resurgence in 2025, reclaiming his status as a major title-winner on the international circuit.

He secured a vital singles title in Laos by upsetting the Japanese top seed in straight sets and demonstrated his doubles mastery by winning gold in Nigeria. His standout performance of the year came at the World Championships in Durban, where he became the first Indian male since 2019 to reach the final eight after a thrilling victory over Japan's Koki Niwa.

Domestically, he reasserted his dominance by clinching the UTT National Ranking title in Delhi, proving that his tactical precision and mental resilience remain at a world-class level as he climbed back toward the top of the global rankings.Manav ThakkarDate of Birth: March 4, 2000Place of Birth: Rajkot, GujaratSport: Table TennisMajor Achievements in 2025:WTT Star Contender Chennai: First Indian male to reach a WTT Star Contender Semi-final.World Ranking Milestone: Reached a career-high World No. 35, becoming India's top-ranked male player.WTT Singapore Smash: Reached the Semi-finals in Men's Doubles (with Manush Shah).Manav Thakkar officially stepped into the void left by Sharath Kamal, emerging as the new leader of Indian table tennis.

His historic run at the WTT Star Contender in Chennai, where he became the first Indian man to reach the final four of such an elite event, signalled a shift in global power. By breaking into the world's top 35 and reaching the semi-finals of a Grand Smash in doubles, Manav solidified his status as a world-class competitor capable of taking down the sport's traditional powerhouses.Harmeet DesaiDate of Birth: July 19, 1993Place of Birth: Surat, GujaratSport: Table TennisMajor Achievements in 2025:Asian Cup (Shenzhen): Secured a massive 3-2 victory over World No.

30 Kirill Gerassimenko.Asian Table Tennis Championships: Led India to a 6th-place finish and qualification for the 2026 World Team Finals.WTT Circuit: Maintained a consistent World Top-80 ranking.Harmeet Desai remained the resilient "engine room" of the Indian team throughout 2025. His performance at the Asian Cup in February was a particular highlight, where he displayed incredible mental grit to edge out Kazakhstan’s top player in a five-set thriller.

As a veteran pillar of the national squad, Harmeet’s consistency was instrumental in India securing its berth for the 2026 World Team Championships in London, further cementing his reputation as one of the most reliable performers in Asian table tennis.Payas JainDate of Birth: September 26, 2004Place of Birth: DelhiSport: Table TennisMajor Achievements in 2025:UTT National Ranking Championships (Panchkula): Gold (Men’s Singles Champion).WTT Feeder Vadodara: Gold (Men’s Doubles & Mixed Doubles).UTT National Ranking Championships (Vadodara): Bronze (Men’s Singles).2025 was the breakthrough year for Payas Jain as he transitioned from a youth prodigy to a senior force. By winning the Men’s Singles Gold at the National Ranking Championships in November, he established himself as the premier young talent in the country. His "double gold" performance in Vadodara on the WTT circuit further proved his versatility across formats.

While balancing an MBA, Payas’s rapid rise in the domestic and international rankings marked him as a key figure for India's 2028 Olympic ambitions.Table Tennis - FemaleManika BatraDate of Birth: June 15, 1995Place of Birth: DelhiSport: Table TennisMajor Achievements in 2025:ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals (Doha): Reached the Second RoundITTF World Cup (Macao): Group Stage Winner (Advanced to Knockouts)WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguaçu: Quarter-finalist (Singles & Doubles)WTT Champions Montpellier: Quarter-finalistIndia’s spearhead Manika Batra continued her high-level consistency on the global stage in 2025.

She reached a career-high world ranking during the season and made history by becoming the first Indian to reach the quarter-finals of a WTT Champions event. At the World Championships in Doha, she secured a dominant opening-round win over Nigeria’s Fatimo Bello. Her performance at the Saudi Smash remained a benchmark, while her deep runs in Brazil and France solidified her status as a "giant-killer" capable of challenging the top-ranked Chinese players.Sreeja AkulaDate of Birth: July 31, 1998Place of Birth: Hyderabad, TelanganaSport: Table TennisMajor Achievements in 2025:Asian Cup (Shenzhen): Group Stage Winner (Only Indian to win her opener)ITTF World Cup (Macao): Group Stage Winner (Advanced to Knockouts)WTT Contender Tunis: Quarter-finalist (Mixed Doubles)Senior National Table Tennis Championships: Silver (Women’s Singles)Following her breakout 2024, Sreeja Akula maintained her position as one of Asia's most dangerous players in 2025.

She was the standout Indian performer at the Asian Cup in Shenzhen, recording a clinical 3-0 victory over Qatar's Aia Mohamed. Despite a mid-season dip in form due to a stress fracture recovery, she successfully reached the knockout stages of the ITTF World Cup. Her tactical grit was on full display in the National Championship final, where she pushed Diya Chitale to a full seven-game thriller, ultimately securing the silver medal.Diya ChitaleDate of Birth: May 13, 2003Place of Birth: Mumbai, MaharashtraSport: Table TennisMajor Achievements in 2025:Senior National Table Tennis Championships: Gold (Women’s Singles)Senior National Table Tennis Championships: Gold (Women’s Doubles)WTT Finals (Hong Kong): Qualified for Season-Ending Finals (First Indian Mixed Doubles pair)WTT Contender Tunis: Gold (Mixed Doubles)WTT Star Contender Brazil: Silver (Mixed Doubles)2025 was a landmark year for Diya Chitale, as she emerged as the new National Champion by defeating Sreeja Akula in a 4-3 epic.

Alongside partner Manush Shah, she scripted history by becoming the first Indian athlete across any category to qualify for the prestigious, season-ending WTT Finals in Hong Kong. The duo's title win in Tunis, where they defeated Japanese stars Miwa Harimoto and Sora Matsushima, served as a turning point that propelled Diya to a career-high mixed doubles world ranking of No.

5.Ayhika MukherjeeDate of Birth: June 10, 1997Place of Birth: Naihati, West BengalSport: Table TennisMajor Achievements in 2025:WTT Star Contender Chennai: Main Draw Qualifier (Mixed Doubles)Asian Cup (Shenzhen): Represented India (Group Stage)Asian Championships: Bronze (Women’s Team)World Ranking: Maintained a Top-100 position (Peaked at #94)The "anti-spin" specialist Ayhika Mukherjee remained a vital asset for the Indian national team in 2025. Known for her unique playing style that famously troubled World No. 1 Sun Yingsha, she continued to lead India's defensive efforts at the Asian Championships, helping the squad secure a podium finish. Her partnership with young Ankur Bhattacharjee saw a breakthrough at the WTT Star Contender Chennai, where they rallied from behind to qualify for the main draw, proving her versatility as both a singles threat and a doubles strategist.