Niraj Bajaj

Three-time national table tennis champion Niraj Bajaj was just 22 years old when he retired from the game in 1977. It came as a shocker to the fraternity, and also to his own family. Bajaj, however, was clear that he wanted to join the family business, as "table tennis was never going to be a lifetime pursuit". However, he always wanted to give back to the game. It's rare that a world class sportsman was created in a family of industrialists. "Creating a sportsman requires blood, sweat and sacrifice — it doesn't happen easily in families where you are born with a silver spoon. I was lucky to have memorable moments captaining the Indian team," says the 63-year-old promoter-director of Bajaj Group, who has been roped in by 11Even sports as co-promoter to launch Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT), the first table tennis franchise of its kind in the world. The league comprises 48 players from India and around the world, divided into six teams.