Following the departure of successful captain Aruna Shahi to Australia, there is growing interest in who will lead the Nepalese women’s volleyball team next. The national team is set to participate in the upcoming Kavha Women’s Volleyball Championship, but with Aruna Shahi no longer available, the process of selecting a new captain has been initiated. Aruna had captained the team since 2019 and led Nepal to its first-ever participation in the Asian Games. However, she is currently not part of the team’s leadership.
Nepal Volleyball Association has stated that the new captain will be chosen once the team is finalized after selection by the head coach, Jagadish Bhatt. (6 Baishakh, Kathmandu)
In about a month, the Nepalese National Women’s Volleyball Team is preparing to play the Kavha Women’s Volleyball Championship on home ground. After Aruna Shahi, the most successful captain, left for Australia, anticipation is high regarding who will take on the captaincy. With Aruna absent from the list of 20 players in the women’s volleyball camp, it is almost certain that a new captain will be appointed. The key question remains: who will lead the Nepalese women’s team at home? Since 2019, Aruna has captained the team and spearheaded Nepal’s achievements spanning from South Asia to Central Asia.
Having led for almost seven years, Aruna, now in the latter part of her career, is no longer involved with the national team setup. Recently, many experienced Nepalese volleyball players have started moving abroad. Former team stars such as Saraswati Chaudhary and Pratibha Mali are currently in Australia. In addition, national team players Safiya Pun and Kavita Bhatt have also chosen to play overseas. Before the Nepal Volleyball Association organized the Kavha Women’s Volleyball camp, Aruna had already left for Australia for another tournament. Association President Jitendra Bahadur Chand stated at a press conference that Aruna left without prior notice to the volleyball federation.
