{{Short description|Indian footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}} {{Use Indian English|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Sumati Kumari | image = | image_size = | caption = | fullname = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2004|1|15|df=y}} | birth_place = Londra, Jharkhand, India | height = | position = Forward | currentclub = Sethu | clubnumber = 25 | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = | years1 = | clubs1 = Sethu | caps1 = | goals1 = | years2 = 2023–2026 | clubs2 = Gokulam Kerala | caps2 = | goals2 = | years3 = 2026– | clubs3 = Sethu | caps3 = | goals3 = | nationalyears1 = 2019 | nationalteam1 = India U17 | nationalcaps1 = | nationalgoals1 = | nationalyears2 = 2021–2023 | nationalteam2 = India U20 | nationalcaps2 = | nationalgoals2 = | nationalyears3 = 2021– | nationalteam3 = India | nationalcaps3 = 3 | nationalgoals3 = 0 | club-update = | nationalteam-update = 30 May 2025 }} '''Sumati Kumari''' (born 15 January 2004) is an Indian professional footballer from Jharkhand, who plays as a forward for Sethu in the Indian Women's League and represents the India women's national football team.
== Early life == Kumari is from Lundru village, Gumla district, Jharkhand. She is the youngest of six siblings. She trained at the local District Residential Sports Centre under coaches Veena Kerketta and Mohammad Rizwan. In 2019, when she was attending the National camp in Goa, her mother died. The news reached her after two days and she had decided to stay back and play for India.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Football, a life changer for two Jharkhand girls, Sumati and Amisha |url=https://www.aninews.in/news/sports/football/football-a-life-changer-for-two-jharkhand-girls-sumati-and-amisha20230129150244/ |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=ANI News |language=en}}</ref> From May 2020, she has been supported by the Jharkhand government.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bafna |first=Neelabh |date=2022-01-12 |title=Sumati Kumari: 18-Yr-Old From Jharkhand Is India’s Youngest In Football Team THE NEW INDIAN |url=https://www.newindian.in/sumati-kumari-18-yr-old-from-jharkhand-is-indias-youngest-in-football-team/ |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=THE NEW INDIAN |language=en}}</ref>
== Career == She was scouted by AIFF coaches while playing in her village and was selected for the Junior National camp in 2016.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=U-20 National Team - Sumati Kumari |url=https://www.the-aiff.com/players/profile/132300 |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=www.the-aiff.com}}</ref>
In April 2019, she played for Jharkhand in the Junior Nationals and scored two goals in the 3-0 win in the semifinals against Gujarat. The event was also played as trials for selecting the Indian under-17 team for the 2020 U-17 World Cup.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vasudevan |first=Shyam |date=2019-04-29 |title=Junior Girls' National Football Championship semifinals: Jharkhand's Sumati Kumari stands tall among U-17 World Cup probables |url=https://sportstar.thehindu.com/football/junior-girls-national-football-championship-semifinal-jharkhand-gujarat-sumati-kumari-final/article26984053.ece |access-date=2025-03-16 |website=Sportstar |language=en}}</ref>
She made her junior debut in 2019 and was part of the winning Indian U-15 Women's Team at the SAFF U-15 Championship in Bhutan, where she scored three goals in four matches.<ref name=":0" />
In December 2019, she played the India under-17 team in the two friendlies against Thailand and Sweden.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-12-17 |title=U-17 football: India beat Thailand 1-0, to play Sweden in final |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/u-17-football-india-beat-thailand-1-0-to-play-sweden-in-final/articleshow/72857406.cms |access-date=2023-09-17 |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> In January 2022, she made her senior India debut after she was selected for the Indian team to play AFC Asian Cup.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-01-13 |title=Teen Sumati scripts a 1st for J'khand |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/teen-sumati-scripts-a-1st-for-jkhand/articleshow/88864608.cms |access-date=2023-09-17 |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>
In March 2023, she was part of the Indian team in the AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers Round 1 in Vietnam.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-03-09 |title=AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers: India blank Indonesia to maintain perfect record |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/afc-u-20-womens-asian-cup-qualifiers-india-blank-indonesia-to-maintain-perfect-record/articleshow/98520338.cms |access-date=2023-09-17 |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>
In August 2022, the Gumla district administration felicitated Sumati and other players on the National Sports Day.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-08-30 |title=Gumla district admin honours athletes on National Sports Day |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/gumla-district-admin-honours-athletes-on-national-sports-day/articleshow/93867261.cms |access-date=2023-09-17 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>
==Career statistics== ===International=== {{Updated|30 May 2025}} {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" !National team!!Year!!Caps!!Goals |- | rowspan=5|India |2021 |2 |0 |- |2022 |0 |0 |- |2023 |0 |0 |- |2024 |0 |0 |- |2025 |1 |0 |- ! colspan=2|Total !3 !0 |}
== References == <references />
== External links == * [https://www.the-aiff.com/players/profile/132300 Sumati Kumari] at All India Football Federation * {{GSA player|sumati-kumari/456382}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumari, Sumati}} Category:2004 births Category:Living people Category:Indian women's footballers Category:Footballers from Jharkhand Category:Sportswomen from Jharkhand Category:India women's youth international footballers Category:India women's international footballers Category:Women's association football forwards Category:Indian Women's League players Category:Gokulam Kerala FC Women players Category:Sethu FC players Category:21st-century Indian sportswomen Category:2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup players