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Another historic achievement has been registered in the sports sector of Gujarat. Talented player Namrata Bhudia from Kutch district has been selected in the Indian Under-18 Girls Rugby Team. With this achievement, Namrata became the first rugby player from Gujarat to represent India at international level. Humility from Gujarat will represent the Indian team in the ‘Asia Rugby Emirates U-18 Sevens 2026’ held in China. Namrata will be representing Team India in the upcoming “Asia Rugby Emirates U-18 Sevens 2026” international rugby competition to be held in Qingdao, China on 5 and 6 September 2026.

From grassroots of Kutch to Gandhinagar and from Gandhinagar to Team India

In 2019, during a grassroots level selection at a school in Kutch, coach Vedanta Dhanani recognized Namat’s talent and mentored him in rugby. With constant encouragement from father Dineshbhai Bhudia and family, Namrata showed dedication to the sport. From 2021, Namrata has settled in the capital Gandhinagar and is training hard to excel in national level competitions. She has also been a part of the Indian National Team training camp for the past three years. In this entire trip, the founder and secretary of Rugby Gujarat Association Dr. Deep Rawal has also provided him constant guidance and coaching.

Top scorer and outstanding captain in the U-18 Nationals

In the recently held U-18 Indian National Rugby Championship held at Hyderabad, Namrata was awarded as the ‘Top Scorer’ of the tournament with a brilliant performance. Apart from this, she has also successfully captained Gujarat’s junior girls and senior women’s rugby teams.