{"id":17020,"date":"2026-05-16T08:02:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T02:17:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eng.dragonmedia.com.np\/?p=17020"},"modified":"2026-05-16T08:02:52","modified_gmt":"2026-05-16T02:17:52","slug":"niruta-who-left-the-army-for-apf-becomes-the-sixth-captain-of-the-national-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eng.dragonmedia.com.np\/?p=17020","title":{"rendered":"Niruta, Who Left the Army for APF, Becomes the Sixth Captain of the National Team<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kathmandu \u2013 Niruta Thagunna of the Nepal APF Club has been named the captain of the Nepali national women’s volleyball team. She is the sixth captain to lead the national side. Acting on the recommendation of head coach Jagadish Bhatta, an executive committee meeting of the Nepal Volleyball Association approved Niruta for the captaincy on Friday.<\/p>\n

Senior players Usha Bhandari and Salina Shrestha, who are currently in the squad, were also in contention. However, Niruta was entrusted with the responsibility of captaincy owing to her greater maturity in age and her international match experience compared to the other two. Of late, the national team had been without a captain after former captain Aruna Shahi left for Australia. The Nepali women’s volleyball team has previously been led by Hema Pradhan, Sushma Thapa, Anju Shrestha, Binita Budhathoki and Aruna Shahi.<\/p>\n

Hailing from Naugad in Darchula, Niruta’s volleyball journey began with the President’s Running Shield. She started playing volleyball in 2073 BS. Prior to that, she was an athletics competitor. On the advice of a teacher, she switched to volleyball within the Running Shield itself. She has not been able to stray from volleyball since. For the past seven years, Niruta has been playing continuously for the national team.<\/p>\n

Coach Bhatta, who had observed the talent of Niruta, who once played for the Sudurpashchim team, got her affiliated with the Tribhuvan Army Club. After spending nearly two years in the army, she moved to APF. She is now also the captain of APF. She has already helped APF win over a dozen titles, including the Tiger Cup three times, the Ninth National Games, the Dhorpatan Double League Championship, the Prime Minister’s Cup and the NVA Club Championship.<\/p>\n

Niruta made her debut for the national team at the Asian Senior Women’s Central Zone Volleyball Championship in 2019, where the Nepali team emerged as champions in competition against Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Immediately after that, she played in the 13th South Asian Games (SAG). When Nepal won its historic silver medal at the SAG under Aruna’s captaincy, Niruta was a member of the squad. She has the experience of competing at the 19th Asian Games, finishing as runner-up in the CAVA Women’s Volleyball League in 2024, and securing third place in the CAVA Women’s Challenge Cup in 2023. Her team also emerged victorious at the CAVA Women’s Club Championship held in the Maldives last year. A multiple-time recipient of the best player award, Niruta is the marquee player for Madhesh United in the Everest Women’s Franchise League.<\/p>\n

At the upcoming CAVA Championship, however, Niruta faces the challenge of managing around half a dozen new players. Players who delivered results in the past, such as Saraswati Chaudhary, Pratibha Mali, Safiya Pun, Kabita Bhatta and Punam Chand, have all left for Australia.<\/p>\n

Upon her appointment as captain, Niruta said, “Just being able to lead the national team is a huge opportunity for me. This is beyond my imagination. I have the confidence that I can successfully carry this responsibility forward.” Expressing her belief that she can overcome challenges with the support of the team, the coach and the association, she said, “I will work as hard as I can to enhance the prestige of the team and the country.”<\/p>\n

Nepal will have to face a major challenge at the CAVA event. The two-time champions have an opportunity to win the title on home soil. However, Group ‘A’, in which Nepal is placed, includes close rivals India, Kyrgyzstan and the Maldives. The other Group ‘B’ comprises Iran, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Kazakhstan. The women’s team will compete in the tournament to be held at the RAKEP Covered Hall in Tripureshwor from Jestha 8 to 15. Niruta’s captaincy debut will also take place at the CAVA Championship.<\/p>\n

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