Mumbai, June 27 -- Deepak Kumar Punia, a rising star in Indian rugby, hails from Kanoi village in Hisar, Haryana. He made his mark by captaining the Haryana men's rugby sevens team to multiple national titles, including a gold medal at the National Games. In April 2024, his leadership journey reached a new milestone when he was appointed captain of India's men's 15s team for the Asia Rugby Division 1 Championship in Sri Lanka.

A natural leader, Punia had earlier served as vice-captain of the national rugby sevens team. Having overcome early challenges in his career, he established himself as a key figure in both the sevens and fifteens formats. Under his captaincy, the Indian 15s side faced off against Sri Lanka, Qatar, and Kazakhstan, a...