New Delhi: Former Indian hockey skipper Rani Rampal announced her retirement on Thursday ending a glittering career of 16 years in the blue jersey.

Rani became an inspiration for female athletes across the country with her meteoric rise from a small town in Haryana to a global star. Coming from a poor family background, Rani’s father used to pull carts and she struggled during her early days of hockey.

“Seven-year-old Rani would have never thought that she would play for the country one day and retire after playing more than 250 games in this prestigious jersey,” Rani told the reporters on the sidelines of the India and Germany bilateral hockey series in Delhi.

The 29-year-old will sign off as one of India’s most decorated hockey players after leading the women’s team to its best-ever finish at the Olympics — a fourth place at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

“I have no regrets from my playing days at all. I left everything on the hockey turf and gave my 100%. I think this is the right time for me to call it a day,” she added further.

One of the finest Indian forwards, she made her international debut as a 14-year-old in the 2008 Olympic qualifiers. She scored 205 goals in her long career.

Rani was in center of action when the Indian team qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and registered a historic fourth-place finish losing in the bronze medal match.

However, her career was stalled due to injuries and a fall out with the former Indian coach Janneke Schopman in the 2024 Paris Olympics cycle.

Eventually, Rani transitioned to coaching and mentorship and enrolled herself in the FIH coaching courses. She coached the Indian sub-junior team last year.

Recently, she was roped in by JSW-owned Soorma Hockey Club as the mentor of the women’s team in the inaugural Hockey India League.

“I will coach the kids now and I think there are a lot of girls who can benefit from my experience. I reached here because I had a very good guide and coach in my life and I want to do the same for the kids,” Rani concluded.