Mumbai, June 26 -- India's rugby landscape is entering a thrilling new era, and leading the charge is 27-year-old Mohit Khatri, the most expensive player in the inaugural Rugby Premier League (RPL). Hailing from Haryana, Khatri was snapped up by the Bengaluru Bravehearts for Rs 4.75 lakhs, as one of the marquee faces of the world's first-ever franchise-based rugby league.

While Haryana has long been synonymous with wrestling and kabaddi, Khatri's journey to the top of Indian rugby has been anything but conventional.

"Basically, one of my brothers used to play before, and he introduced rugby to us," Khatri recalled.

"We were into cricket, football, and volleyball on weekends. I was in 6th grade when he said, 'Try rugby.' It started that...