Kantamal, 31st Oct 2025: Odisha’s talented rugby player and tribal youth, Yugala Kishore Majhi, has been selected to represent the Indian National Rugby Team (Senior Men’s category) in the upcoming Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Trophy 2025, scheduled to be held in Goa on October 25–26.
Yugala hails from Gidhamal village under Kulutajore Panchayat of Ghantapada police limits, Kantamal block, in Baudh district. He is the son of late Heman Majhi and Nindra Majhi. Currently, Yugala is pursuing his post-graduation (PG) in Economics (Honours) at KIIT University, Bhubaneswar.
Earlier, he served as the captain of the Odisha Under-18 Rugby Team. He was also a member of the Odisha U-18 boys’ team that reached the semifinals in the Junior National Rugby Sevens Championship, held from June 14–16, 2019, at Punjab University, Chandigarh.
Yugala was part of the Odisha Senior Men’s Rugby-7 team that won the bronze medal at the Senior National Rugby-7 Championship, held on June 30, 2024, at Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Pune. He also represented Odisha in the 38th National Games, held at the Ganga Athletics Ground, Dehradun (Uttarakhand), on January 31, 2025, where the team again secured a bronze medal.
Following the news of his selection to represent India at the upcoming International Rugby Tournament in Dubai on October 21, a wave of joy swept through his village, with celebrations and congratulations pouring in from all around.