Meet Prashant Singh, Indian rug’s ‘Superman, Spiderman, Krish’ | Sport-others News

Like a dragon-egg. So big.
The first sighting of a game of rug at the Oval Maidaan, even if it’s just 200 metres away from Mumbai’s snobbish yet nurturing Bombay Gymkhana ruggers’ paddock fenced on three sides, can evoke a hugely astonished response. Prashant Singh, back when he first watched elder brother Sushant play rug, was still only a cricketer, who had seen nothing like that rucking, mauling, tackling and crucially, freely-running sport before. But he topped races and relays at his Guru Nanak school in Colaba’s Navy Nagar. After his first hour spent running with that oblong, looking for excuses to play rug, became an addiction.
This last week, Prashant picked his first Man of the Match award for Bengaluru Bravehearts in the inaugural Rug Premier League, albeit for his defensive rigour. He has 11 tackles for a city franchise that he was very happy to be picked for, as it was the same city as his favourite IPL side. It helped that he got to play alongside some fairly well known international names on the 7s circuit, Philip Wokorach, Pol Pla, Liam Poulton and Iowane Teba.
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But just a few years ago – he had been bogged down a slew of other jobs that brought in some money, but were creatively never as liberating as running carefree with the ‘andaa ball’ (egg-ball). A fitness freak, Prashant earned money as a gym instructor, was a food delivery agent and feeling greatly stuck, was a salesman for banking products.
Covid had wreaked havoc with his rug, and his family’s well-being. His father used to run a reasonably lucrative newspaper vendor service at Colaba, but the pandemic destroyed that business, and he had to settle for a job as a security supervisor in Navy Nagar. It’s when the financial crunch got to the family, and his older brother, who loved rug equally, quit the sport and took on financial responsibility of the home with two sers, two brothers and parents.
This last week, Prashant picked his first Man of the Match award for Bengaluru Bravehearts in the inaugural Rug Premier League, albeit for his defensive rigour.
But even at school, the parents had insed on academics, to help find a secure job and stable salary. “The sports craze was always there. I mostly played cricket, but after running with the rug ball, I couldn’t stop playing the sport. Problem was we were a very middle class family. My parents said there is no scope in sports. They bitterly opposed cricket, and rug they didn’t even know. I used to fight routinely just to be allowed to play,” he recalls.
Eventually after Class 10, he quit for a few years, leaving the Rhino Club run former international Pritam Roy. But you can’t live in South Bombay’s nooks and crannies and not get pulled back into sport, rug or cricket, with Oval and Cross maidaan close, watching them on every commute if you have once experienced how much fun they are. For Prashant, it was his former rivals from Magicians who invited him to restart. “We used to be cross (rivals) earlier, but they said get a sports certificate and then that might help with a government job,” he laughs.Story continues below this ad
Laughs, because a job, any job, was a painful, ponderous bind for Prashant, that he reckoned conspired to keep him away from rug. “I became a delivery agent because I could work on my own terms. At the bank job, they wouldn’t allow me to go train or give me leave for rug. I became a fitness master (instructor certification), and knew I had that option,” he recalls. But the rug itch was too much.
After playing for Magicians, run the Sheikh brothers and Vijay Dange, Prashant, a hybrid player in 7s and a utility flanker (what he calls ‘fast forward’) in XVs got picked for Maharashtra 15s. With India’s whimsical National Games scheduling, three editions happened in three years. And finishing silver medalls meant he earned cash prize of Rs 5 lakh each time.
His family, still disdainful rug, thought he was joking. “They were convinced it was a lie till they saw the amount credited into my account. That day was very emotional,” he says. “Till there is no respect, there is really no value of sport. Supporting family financially is the biggest pressure and greatest joy,” he says, recalling the relief he felt in putting food and remt money on the table. It eased his mind to enjoy the adrenaline that comes with scoring a try. “But rug is similar. The pressure when you run with the ball before scoring a try is enormous. If I score, the happiness that me, my team and screaming crowd feel – there’s no feeling like that in the world.”
Prashant is deservingly proud of his score in modern rug’s “who’s better?” Metric – the Bronco time. It’s like cricket’s yo-yo score, but obviously considerably higher in intensity given how much ruggers run. It conss of 5 sets of back to back shuttle runs over 20 metres, 40 metres and 60 metres. Gloucester’s Seb Atkinson, an English Rug Union player holds the world record of 4 minutes 8 seconds. Prashant claims he might be India’s best with 4 minutes, 38 seconds.Story continues below this ad
A former batsman in cricket, he took greater pride in fielding. “Fielding was my best skill in cricket. But rug is much tougher,” he says.

He grew up with the nickname Shiv, which is what his teammates call him and is emblazoned on his jersey too. At his club, with the Bravehearts currently third, behind Hyderabad and Chennai, he looks up to Akuila Rokolisoa, but has picked a bunch of nicknames for his athleticism and flying runs. “Superman, Spiderman and Krish,” he enumerates.