2026 Rugby Premier League
| 2026 HSBC Rugby Premier League | |
|---|---|
| Countries |  India |
| Number of teams | 6 (men's) 4 (women's) |
| Date | 16 June – 28 June 2026 |
| Champions | Hyderabad Heroes (M) Delhi Redz (W) |
| Runners-up | Mumbai Dreamers (M) Chennai Bulls (W) |
| Official website | |
| www | |
The 2026 HSBC Rugby Premier League is the second season of the Rugby Premier League.[1] It is scheduled to be held from 16 to 28 June 2026 at the Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad, with six men's city-based franchises competing in the rugby sevens format.[2] In a landmark expansion, four women's franchises have been introduced for the first time, competing alongside the men's league.[3]
The defending champions are Chennai Bulls, who won the inaugural title in 2025.
History
Following the success of the inaugural 2025 season held in Mumbai, GMR Sports and Rugby India announced the second edition of the Rugby Premier League on 16 April 2026. The tournament was relocated to Hyderabad, with the Gachibowli Stadium confirmed as the venue.[4]
On 27 April 2026, GMR Sports and Rugby India announced the introduction of women's franchises, marking a significant milestone in the growth and inclusivity of rugby in India. Four of the six existing men's franchises: Chennai Bulls, Delhi Redz, Mumbai Dreamers, and Kolkata Banga Tigers will field women's teams.[5] The Kalinga Black Tigers franchise has been renamed Kolkata Banga Tigers and relocated from Bhubaneswar to Kolkata.[6]
The player draft and auction for all ten teams, four women's and six men's is scheduled to take place in Hyderabad on 30 April 2026.[7]
Rahul Bose, President of Rugby India, commented: "It has always been our dream at Rugby India to have an RPL Women edition. This year that dream comes to fruition."[8]
Venue
The matches will be held at the Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad, Telangana.[9]
| Hyderabad |
|---|
| Gachibowli Stadium |
| Capacity: 18,000 |
 |
Teams
Men's Teams |
Women's Teams
|
Squads
The player auction and draft were held on 30 April 2026.[10]
Men's Squads
Players in bold were retained from the 2025 season.
| Bengaluru Bravehearts | Chennai Bulls | Delhi Redz | Hyderabad Heroes | Kolkata Banga Tigers | Mumbai Dreamers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Akuila Rokolisoa Philip Wokorach.svg.png){kind=small} Henry Hutchison Ngarohi McGarvey-Black Shilton van Wyk Ryan Apps Denis Etwau Motu Opetai Michael Coverdale Rajdeep Saha Devendra Padir Ganesh Majhi Akash Balmiki Arpan Chhetri |
 Joseva Talacolo Filipe Sauturaga Santiago Alvarez Sunni Jardine Tobías Sainz-Trápaga (es).svg.png){kind=small} Ethan Turner Taualai Panoa Tusitafu Toilolo Hidayat Jerffrydin Mohit Khatri Jugal Majhi Karan Rajbhar Pranav Patil Harpreet Singh Kamboj |
 Patrick Odongo Luciano Gonzalez Pol Pla Josep Serres (es) Nygel Amaitsa Elias Hancock Samuel Asati Jon Okoth Lennox Wiese Vinay A Javed Hussain Hitesh Dagar Deepak Punia Shridhar Nigade |
Manu Moreno Kevin Wekesa Maurice Longbottom Regan Ware Francisco Cosculluela (es) Diego Ardao Dante Sotonida Ravuama Seruvakula Wolfram Hacker Shivam Shukla Sumit Roy Muhammed Anes K Sambit Pradhan Rajan Rawat |
Vuiviawa Naduvalo Thibaud Mazzoleni Brady Rush Ricardo Duartee Lucas Lacamp Aaron Cummings Adrian Kasito Niue Owen Shotaro Tsuoka Ajay Deswal Prashant Singh Shanawaz Ahmed Deshraj Rathore Sanjay Kisan |
 Ben Lasiel James Turner Santino Zangara Lucas Mignot Tristan Leyds Guillaume Bouche Nabo Sakoyi Liam Poulton Demetri Patterson Sukumar Hembrom Prince Khatri Asis Sabar Vikas Khatri Neeraj Khatri |
Women's Squads
| Chennai Bulls | Delhi Redz | Kolkata Banga Tigers | Mumbai Dreamers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ana Naimasi Chantelle Miell Carmen Izyk Lara Wright Liske Lategan Sheilla Chajira Tarulata Naik Sandhyarani Tudu Amandeep Kaur Sandhya Rai Sapna Kumari Muskan Piploda |
 Camilla Carvalho Isadora Lopes Reapi Ulunisau Silika Qalo Eden Kilgour Zintle Mpupha Guriya Kumari Shikha Yadav Vaishnavi Patel Dumuni Marndi Rima Oraon Saloni Kumari |
Nia Toliver Shiniqwa Lamprecht Vianca Boer Ronja Hinterding Sarah Gossman Sofia Gonzalez Gomti Thakur Ujjwala Ghuge Kalyani Patil Nirmalya Rout Kyra Bianca Vincent Parbati Hansdah |
Yasmim Soares Abbie Brown Grace Adhiambo Marienela Escalante Carmen Miralles (es) Abril Ruiz Arti Kumari Mama Naik Hupi Majhi Bhumika Shukla Lachmi Oraon Sunita Hansdah |
Men's league
Points table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | SD | BP | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mumbai Dreamers | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | +57 | 2 | 17 | Advances to playoff |
| 2 | Bengaluru Bravehearts | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | +35 | 3 | 15 | |
| 3 | Hyderabad Heroes | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | +31 | 3 | 12 | |
| 4 | Delhi Redz | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -31 | 2 | 5 | |
| 5 | Chennai Bulls | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | -67 | 1 | 4 | |
| 6 | Kolkata Banga Tigers | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -25 | 1 | 1 |
Source: Rugby Premier League
League stage
To be updated after matches are played.
Play-offs
To be announced.
Women's league
The women's edition of the Rugby Premier League makes its debut in 2026, featuring four franchises.[11]
Points table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | SD | BP | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chennai Bulls | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | +7 | 6 | 17 | Advances to Final |
| 2 | Delhi Redz | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | +34 | 4 | 14 | Advances to Eliminator |
| 3 | Kolkata Banga Tigers | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 3 | 12 | |
| 4 | Mumbai Dreamers | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -38 | 1 | 5 |
Source: Rugby Premier League
League stage
To be updated after matches are played.
Play-offs
| Eliminator | Final | ||||||||
| 1 | Chennai Bulls | 10 | |||||||
| 2 | Delhi Redz | 26 | 2 | Delhi Redz | 22 | ||||
| 3 | Kolkata Banga Tigers | 14 | |||||||
Broadcasting
India
Online
References
- ↑ "Rugby Premier League Season 2 Set for Hyderabad". rugbypremierleague.in. 16 April 2026. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
- ↑ "GMR Sports and Rugby India Announce Introduction of Women's Franchises in Season 2 of the HSBC Rugby Premier League". Passionate in Marketing. 27 April 2026. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
- ↑ "Rugby India announce introduction of women's franchises in season 2 of Rugby Premier League". The Tribune. 27 April 2026. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
- ↑ "Rugby Premier League Season 2 Set for Hyderabad". rugbypremierleague.in. 16 April 2026. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
- ↑ "GMR Sports and Rugby India Announce Introduction of Women's Franchises in Season 2 of the HSBC Rugby Premier League". Passionate in Marketing. 27 April 2026. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
- ↑ "Rugby Premier League introduces women's teams in landmark expansion". Asianet Newsable. 27 April 2026. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
- ↑ "Rugby Premier League To Launch Inaugural Women's Edition – Check Teams And Dates". Outlook India. 27 April 2026. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
- ↑ "GMR Sports and Rugby India Announce Introduction of Women's Franchises in Season 2 of the HSBC Rugby Premier League". Passionate in Marketing. 27 April 2026. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
- ↑ "Rugby Premier League Season 2 Set for Hyderabad". rugbypremierleague.in. 16 April 2026. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
- ↑ Sportstar, Team (30 April 2026). "Rugby Premier League Season 2 squads finalised; women's league set for historic debut". Sportstar. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
- ↑ "Rugby India announce introduction of women's franchises in season 2 of Rugby Premier League". The Tribune. 27 April 2026. Retrieved 28 April 2026.