Mumbai, June 14 (IANS) For years, Mohit Khatri has been disturbed by the fact that despite representing the country for years and leading it at the Asian Rugby Championships, he was not recognised by fans and media, whereas cricketers, footballers, shuttlers and those from other sports were mobbed.
He knew the answer was somewhere in the fact that he represented India in rugby, which was a little-known sport and rarely made it to the television screens or back pages of the newspapers. But such was his passion that Khatri has pursued rugby since the age of 13 and is now the biggest star of Indian rugby.
“When we used to go to play tournaments, we also used to feel that ‘yes, we are players of the Indian team’. But when we used to compare it with cricket or any other sport, we felt how far we were. There were no fans, not much support from the media,” Khatri told IANS in an exclusive interview.
“Even my relatives didn’t know much about the sport I pursued, that I was representing India at the international level, that too is almost at the same level as those in other sports. If you look at any other sport, then at that time it used to feel a little different,” said Khatri, who led India in the Asian Tournament in Nepal in 2024.
Though there was a massive difference in the scene in rugby and other sports in India, Khatri never had regrets for choosing to pursue it instead of picking football or cricket, which he played as a child.
His belief in rugby is now looking to pay off with the upcoming Rugby Premier League (RPL), the world’s first city-based franchise league in the sport, which is set to kick off on Sunday (June 15) at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex (Andheri Sports Complex) in Mumbai.
Khatri is confident that the rugby scene in the country is going to metamorphose, and the little-known sport of rugby sevens is going to be broadcast on television and live-streamed on OTT platforms. He feels that RPL will have the same effect on rugby as the Indian Premier League (IPL) has had on cricket.
“When I started representing India, I felt that yes, the level of India has reached a stage, where we should take it further, and for that, however much hard work is needed, we should do that. So slowly, slowly, the Indian team is becoming better, and like the IPL has made a difference for cricket, RPL will have foreign players, and we will get a chance to play with them. We will get opportunities, we will get a chance to learn things and improve to a great extent. I think that rugby in India will go to greater heights, and avenues will open up for them so that they can progress better in the future,” said Khatri.
Khatri, who emerged as the most expensive Indian player in the RPL auction, will be representing Bengaluru Bravehearts, one of the six teams in the fray, while the other five franchises in the fray are Chennai Bulls, Delhi Redz, Hyderabad Heroes, Kalinga Black Tigers, and Mumbai Dreamers.
RPL has roped in 30 marquee international players from powerhouse Rugby 7s nations like New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Fiji, Argentina, Great Britain, Ireland, the USA, and Spain.
Each team will comprise five foreign players, five domestic players, and three from bridge nations – countries in the second and third tier in the world rugby hierarchy.
Each match will be of 16-minute duration divided into four quarters. With the clock being stopped for each transgression, decision, and injury, each match will be of 23-30 minutes duration.
“This is an opportunity of a lifetime, a chance to experience high-class rugby playing with some of the top stars of rugby 7s. We want to learn from these matches and watch top-level players and top-level teams perform. By watching and reviewing their matches, we learn what we can do and what we cannot. And through RPL, which GMR Sports has arranged, we will get a chance to with top-level stars, Olympians. Learn the tactics from top international coaches. We will also understand where we stand in world rugby. We will get to know how much difference there is between World Rugby and Indian Rugby and what steps we can take to reach there. We can see that after this RPL,” said Khatri.
Khatri says the RPL format is such that each team will have five marquee players from top nations like Australia, South Africa, England, Ireland, and Wales besides five Indian players and three from emerging nations like Canada, Germany, and Hong Kong.
“It is going to be the first time that players from different countries will be part of the same team and play together. So, for the teams, it is kind of a test and trial period, allowing the players to gel into a team. Let’s see how the combination works. But we are ready to give our best,” said Khatri of his team Bengaluru Bravehearts.
Born in the village of Kundli in the Sonipat district of Haryana, Khatri took to rugby when he was in sixth class after watching a friend from his village play the game. He took it up on the advice of his friend but got hooked on it. Khatri says his family has supported his decision to pursue rugby as a profession, putting his Chartered Accountancy studies on hold. The sport has also got him a job as a Senior Postal Assistant in the Indian Postal Department, which he joined in February this year.
Now, he is confident that RPL will make him get recognised in the streets, if not mobbed by crazy fans. That kind of support will also encourage him and other Indian players to continue with their dreams of playing rugby at mega events like the World Cup and the Olympics.
–IANS
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