Race for captain heats up in Nepal Women’s Volleyball after Aruna Shahi’s exit

The Nepal national women’s team will play the CAVA Women’s Volleyball Championship at home exactly one month from now. However, after Aruna Shahi, who became a successful captain while leading the team to its greatest achievements so far, left for Australia, there is now growing curiosity about who will captain the Nepali team.

Since Shahi is not included in the list of 20 players currently in the training camp for the CAVA Women’s Volleyball, it is almost certain that the team will have a new captain.

Shahi has remained captain of the national women’s team since 2019, leading Nepal to historic achievements from South Asia to Central Asia. Under her leadership, Nepal also participated in the Asian Games for the first time.

But after captaining the team for about seven years, Shahi, now in the later stage of her career, is no longer part of the national team. Recently, Australia has become a common destination for Nepali volleyball players, and the trend of experienced players moving abroad continues.

Former stars of the Nepali team, such as Saraswati Chaudhary and Pratibha Mali, are now in Australia. Similarly, Safiya Pun and Kavita Bhatt, who had been playing for the national team until recently, have also chosen to go abroad.

Shahi had already gone to Australia for another tournament even before the Nepal Volleyball Association organised the training camp for the CAVA Women’s Volleyball. According to NVA President Jitendra Bahadur Chand, Shahi left this time without informing the association, as he mentioned during the NVA League press conference and NVA Awards program.

Aruna also did not play in the ninth NVA National Women’s and Men’s Volleyball Championship, as she had already left for a previously scheduled competition in Australia. Likewise, Poonam Chand, who was in the training camp, also went to Australia to play during the camp itself.

Back in 2019, the Nepal Volleyball Association made a major overhaul in the women’s team, replacing six senior players with six new ones. At that time, Shahi, along with senior players like Pratibha Mali and Saraswati Chaudhary, was appointed the new captain.

Initially an all-rounder, Aruna took on the role of setter from 2019 alongside her captaincy and led Nepal to multiple medals, including two CAVA titles.

The players who entered the team as newcomers during that period are now key members of the national squad.

Contenders for captain

With the absence of Aruna Shahi, senior player, successful captain, and setter, there are now several contenders not only for the captaincy but also for the setter position.

Some of the players who debuted in the national team around the time Shahi became captain are now leading candidates for the role.

During the 2019 AVC Central Zone Women’s Volleyball tournament in Bangladesh, when the team was restructured, Shahi was appointed captain. At that time, senior players like Chaudhary, Mali, and Manisha Chaudhary remained, while new players such as Sunita Khadka, Niruta Thagunna, Poonam Chand, Salina Shrestha, Janaki Bhandari, and Safiya Pun joined the team. Usha Bhandari also made her debut during the 13th South Asian Games in 2019.

Among them, Thagunna, Bhandari, Shrestha, and Chand are still regular members of the national team, while Khadka and Janaki Bhandari are no longer in the setup. Safiya Pun has already moved abroad.

Although Thagunna missed one tournament, she has remained a consistent member. She, along with Bhandari and Shrestha, also played in the 19th Asian Games in China in 2023.

Later, players like Kamana Bista, Laxmi Chand, and Shanti Tharu joined the national team during the 2021 AVC Women’s Challenge Cup. After that, players such as Pragati Nath, Rima Kunwar, Sunita Regmi, and Aarti Subedi have also represented the national team.

Among these players, the main contenders for captaincy at present are Niruta Thagunna, Usha Bhandari, and Salina Shrestha. All three have already captained franchise teams in domestic women’s volleyball and made their senior national team debut in 2019.

Shrestha, a libero and captain of New Diamond Youth Sports Club, led Lalitpur Queens to the finals of the Everest Women’s Volleyball League twice.

Similarly, Sumitra Regmi, who led Karnali Yashwis to back-to-back titles in the franchise league, has also quickly emerged as a successful player in Nepali volleyball.

In addition, setter Pragati Nath has also captained a franchise team.

Just as Shahi was appointed captain after senior players, including Binita Budhathoki, were dropped earlier, this time, with Shahi herself leaving for abroad, the Nepal Volleyball Association now faces the task of selecting a new captain.

This time, the responsibility of head coach lies with successful Nepali volleyball coach Jagdish Bhatt. He has stated that the captain will be chosen only after the final squad for the CAVA tournament is selected. The captain will be appointed from among the players in the final team.

Attempts to contact Nepal Volleyball Association General Secretary Roshan Shrestha regarding this matter were unsuccessful.

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