Hyderabad to host men’s and women’s Rugby Premier League matches

The HSBC Rugby Premier League Season 2 player auction featured women’s franchises for the first time, with four teams building inaugural squads in Hyderabad. Sumit Kumar Roy and Shikha Yadav emerged as the highest-paid Indian players in the men’s and women’s categories respectively

Hyderabad: In a landmark moment for Indian rugby, the women’s franchises also participated in the HSBC Rugby Premier League Season 2 player auction and draft, with Chennai Bulls, Mumbai Dreamers, Kolkata Banga Tigers and Delhi Redz building their inaugural squads here on Thursday.

Both the men’s and women’s competitions will be held at Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad, from June 16 to 28.

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The men’s franchises, Delhi Redz, Hyderabad Heroes, Kolkata Banga Tigers, Chennai Bulls, Mumbai Dreamers and Bengaluru Bravehearts, made their top picks, with West Bengal’s Sumit Kumar Roy emerging as the highest-paid Indian player at Rs 3.75 lakh for Hyderabad Heroes, followed by Mohit Khatri at Rs 3.5 lakh with Chennai Bulls, and Deepak Kumar Punia and Prashant Arvind Pratap Singh, both picked up for Rs 2.75 lakh by Delhi Redz and Kolkata Banga Tigers respectively.

The women’s auction and draft saw Chennai Bulls, Mumbai Dreamers, Kolkata Banga Tigers and Delhi Redz build their inaugural squads, further expanding the competitive landscape of the Rugby Premier League.

Delhi’s Shikha Yadav led the Indian signings as the highest-paid player at Rs 2.4 lakh for Delhi Redz, followed by Bhumika Shukla at Rs 2.2 lakh with Mumbai Dreamers, while Nirmalya Rout and Amandeep Kaur were secured for Rs 1.6 lakh by Kolkata Banga Tigers and Chennai Bulls respectively, rounding off the top buys across the four teams.

Rahul Bose, President of Rugby India, said: “We are delighted that RPL 2026 will feature a women’s league too. Women’s 7s rugby is physical, fierce and incredibly skilled. India will see the country’s best female rugby players play shoulder to shoulder with some of the world’s most exciting talent. Fasten your seatbelts.”

Sujoy Ganguly, CMO, GMR Sports, said: “The introduction of the women’s league is a landmark moment for the HSBC Rugby Premier League. Today’s draft reflects a strong commitment from franchises and GMR Sports to invest in and build competitive women’s teams, which is critical to driving long-term growth and creating meaningful pathways for athletes in Indian rugby.”