Rugby Premier League

Indian rugby league

Rugby Premier LeagueCurrent season, competition or edition:
2025 Rugby Premier League

Sport| Rugby sevens
Founded| 2024; 1 year ago (2024)
First season| 2025
Administrator| Rugby India
GMR Sports
No. of teams| 6
Country|  India
Headquarters| Mumbai, Maharashtra
Most recent
champion(s)| Chennai Bulls
(2025)
Broadcaster(s)| India:
Star Sports
JioHotstar
Others:
RugbyPass TV
Tournament format|

* Double round-robin
* Knock-out

Official website| RPL

Rugby Premier League, also known as RPL, is a professional rugby sevens league based in India.[1] It is organized by Rugby India, the governing body for the sport in the nation.[2] It is the first franchise-based sevens rugby league in the world.[3] It was founded in 2024 to boost the growth and popularity of rugby sevens. It debuted in 2025 with 6 city-based teams.[4]

## History

[edit]

Rugby Premier League was first announced in early 2024 as a league with six teams and a mix of Indian as well as overseas players.[5] Baseline Ventures, who has worked with Pro Volleyball League, was supposed to be the partner for the league. In December, Rugby India announced a 10-year partnership with GMR Sports to launch the league in 2025.[6]

In April 2025, the six teams were announced: Bengaluru Bravehearts, Chennai Bulls, Delhi Redz, Hyderabad Heroes, Kalinga Black Tigers and Mumbai Dreamers. The dates and venue were unveiled with the league being held from 1 June to 15 June at the Mumbai Football Arena. World Rugby granted RPL a 15-day window, ensuring no rugby sevens tournaments took place during this period.[7] This allowed the participation of some of the biggest names in the sport.[8]

A lineup of 30 marquee international players from rugby powerhouse nations were bought during the auction. The broadcasting and streaming rights were sold to Star Sports and JioHotstar. Renowned coaches Mike Friday, Ben Gollings, DJ Forbes, Tomasi Cama, Francisco Hernández, and Tim Walsh were roped in for the league.[9]

From the domestic circuit, 30 Indian players were selected from an auction pool of 71.[10] The 2025 season will debut with the men's league and the 2026 season is expected to feature both men's and women's league.[11] Dream11 CMO Vikrant Mudaliar revealed that the platform, which has 240 million users, will launch a rugby fantasy sports category to coincide with the rugby league.[12]

## Organisation

[edit]

Rahul Bose, the president of Rugby India, revealed the league brings massive changes in infrastructure and scouting with it. The six owners send scouts across the country, find the best players and bring them back to the cities. They take care of infrastructure, from grounds to physical therapists to masseurs and nutrition coaches.[13] The league has the best players in the world, best broadcasters plus World Rugby match referees, medical commissioners, commentators and match commissioners.[14] The first edition was held from 15 to 29 June 2025 at the Mumbai Football Arena, Maharashtra, India.[15]

## Format

[edit]

The teams compete against each other during a 34-match schedule over 15 days.[16]

* Rugby Premier League will feature two matches per night on weekdays and three matches per night on weekends.
* Matches will be four minutes per quarter with two minutes break between each quarter, or 22 minutes per match, leading to a unique style of play as it differs from world rugby 7s format.
* A double round-robin format will see 30 pool games played, with each team playing 10 pool matches. There will be two semi-finals, a bronze medal match and a final for a total of 34 matches.
* Teams will play a maximum of 10 pool games and two playoff matches over the 15 days of competition.[17]

## Auction and draft

[edit]

Each RPL franchise will consist of a 13 player squad with the main attraction being 5 active and former international marquee players from tier-one nations, 3 bridge players and 5 local Indian players.[17][18]

* 5 international marquee rugby 7s players: Meant to be active players from the World Rugby Sevens ecosystem.
* 3 international bridge players: From Hong Kong, Germany and Kenya[19]
* 5 Indian players: Meant to be India’s best rugby 7s players.
* Management team: Head Coach, Indian Assistant Coach, Physiotherapist, Massage Therapist and Team Manager.

## Teams

[edit]

Delhi Redz

Mumbai Dreamers

Hyderabad Heroes

Kalinga Black Tigers

Chennai Bulls

Bengaluru Bravehearts

class=notpageimage|

Locations of the Rugby Premier League teams

Colors  | Team  | City  | Coach  | Captain(s)

|
|
|
|

| Bengaluru Bravehearts | Bengaluru, Karnataka |  Francisco Hernández |  Scott Curry
Pol Pla
| Chennai Bulls | Chennai, Tamil Nadu |  Ben Gollings |  Alex Davis
| Delhi Redz | New Delhi, Delhi |  Tomasi Cama |  Matías Osadczuk
| Hyderabad Heroes | Hyderabad, Telangana |  DJ Forbes |  Manu Moreno
| Kalinga Black Tigers | Bhubaneswar, Odisha |  Mike Friday |  Harry McNulty
| Mumbai Dreamers | Mumbai, Maharashtra |  Tim Walsh |  Akash Balmiki

## Editions and results

[edit]

Season  | Winner  | Score  | Runner Up  | Venue  | Teams  | Player Of The Tournament

|
|
|
|
|
|

2025 | Chennai Bulls | 41–0  | Delhi Redz | Mumbai Football Arena | 6  | Va'a Apelu Maliko

## Performance by teams

[edit]

### By season

[edit]

Team  | 2025 | 2026

|
|

Bengaluru Bravehearts | 4th  |
Chennai Bulls | C |
Delhi Redz | RU |
Hyderabad Heroes | 3rd  |
Kalinga Black Tigers | 5th  |
Mumbai Dreamers | 6th  |

### League positions

[edit]

Season  | 1st  | 2nd  | 3rd  | 4th  | 5th  | 6th

|
|
|
|
|
|

2025 | HH | CB | BB | DR | KBT | MD
2026 |  |  |  |  |  |
Key | Champions

|

| Runners Up
| Third Place
| Playoffs

## Broadcasting

[edit]

India:

* JioHotstar
* Star Sports

Others:

* RugbyPass TV

## Sponsorship

[edit]

Period  | Sponsor  | Tournament Name

|
|

2025–present  | GMR Sports | GMR Rugby Premier League

## See also

[edit]

* All India & South Asia Rugby Tournament
* Rugby union in India
* Sport in India

## References

[edit]

1. ^ PTI. "Rugby India set to launch Rugby Premier League". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
2. ^ "Rugby India set to launch Rugby Premier League". ANI News. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
3. ^ Kaushik, Suramya (4 April 2025). "Rugby Sevens-World's first franchise-based league to start in Mumbai in June". Reuters. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
4. ^ "Rugby Premier League Set to Start Next Year, Rahul Bose Calls It 'Game-Changer' For India". News18. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
5. ^ Bhattacharyya, Gautam (13 February 2024). "Rugby Premier League: How actor Rahul Bose is close to achieving a pet project". National Herald. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
6. ^ News, India TV; Malik, Varun (23 December 2024). "GMR Sports announces 10-year partnership with Rugby India to launch Rugby Premier League | Other News – India TV". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 23 December 2024. `{{cite web}}`: `|last=` has generic name (help)
7. ^ "From Olympics gold medallists to World Cup winners: Meet the teams, best players, coaches in Rugby Premier League". ESPN. 14 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
8. ^ "Rugby Premier League Set To Revolutionise Rugby 7s In India | Sports News". News18. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
9. ^ "Franchise-based Rugby Premier League launched in Mumbai, set to take place in June 2025 - CNBC TV18". CNBCTV18. 4 April 2025. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
10. ^ "Six years, one dream: Rahul Bose kickstarts India's own Rugby Premier League". English.Mathrubhumi. 5 April 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
11. ^ "The Bollywood star behind rugby's bold IPL comp". Nine. 5 April 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
12. ^ Laghate, Gaurav (1 June 2025). "IPL giant GMR tackles rugby with India League, aims to build Olympic-aligned IP | Mint". mint. Archived from the original on 9 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
13. ^ "Rugby Premier League: World's best on board, new league could be gamechanger". ESPN. 15 June 2025. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
14. ^ Acharya, Shayan (14 June 2025). "Rugby Premier League will transform the sport both on-field and off-field, says Rugby India President Rahul Bose". sportstar.thehindu.com. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
15. ^ "A New Era For Rugby 7s In India: Franchise-Based League Set To Launch In Mumbai On June 1, 2025 | Rugby Sevens News". NDTVSports.com. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
16. ^ "Rugby Premier League to debut with six teams - The Economic Times". m.economictimes.com. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
17. ^ a b rugbyasia247 (5 April 2025). "Indian Rugby Premier League - Will The New Professional 7s Francise Tournament Match The Hype?". RugbyAsia247. Retrieved 5 April 2025.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
18. ^ "'Redefine the future': India unveils revolutionary Rugby Premier League". www.rugbypass.com. 5 April 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
19. ^ rugbyasia247 (8 April 2025). "Indian Rugby Premier League (RPL) - Will The New Professional 7s Franchise Tournament Match The Hype?". RugbyAsia247. Retrieved 2 July 2025.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

## External links

[edit]

* rugbypremierleague.in
* Rugby Premier League on Facebook
* Rugby Premier League on Instagram
* Rugby Premier League on Twitter
* Rugby Premier League on YouTube

* v
* t
* e

Rugby union in India

National Governing Body|

* Indian Rugby Football Union

Teams|

* Men
* Men's 7s
* Women
* Women's 7s

Zonal Bodies|

* Odisha Rugby Football Association

Zonal Teams|

* Calcutta CFC
* Delhi Hurricanes RFC
* Odisha (Men's)
* Odisha (Women's)
* Bangalore RFC

Club Teams|

* Bengaluru Bravehearts
* Chennai Bulls
* Delhi Redz
* Hyderabad Heroes
* Kalinga Black Tigers
* Mumbai Dreamers

Tournaments|

* All India & South Asia Rugby Tournament
* Rugby Premier League

* v
* t
* e

Sports leagues and tournaments in India

National|

| Basketball|

* 3x3 Pro Basketball League
* Elite Pro Basketball League
* Indian National Basketball League
* UBA Pro Basketball League

|

Cricket|

| First class|

* Duleep Trophy
* Irani Trophy
* Senior Women's Inter Zonal Multi-Day Trophy
* Ranji Trophy

|

List A|

* Deodhar Trophy
* Senior Women's One Day Challenger Trophy
* Senior Women's One Day Trophy
* Vijay Hazare Trophy

Twenty20|

* Indian Cricket League†
* Indian Premier League
* Senior Women's T20 Challenger Trophy
* Senior Women's T20 Trophy
* Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
* Women's T20 Challenge
* Women's Premier League

T10|

* Indian Street Premier League

Youth|

* CK Nayudu Trophy
* Cooch Behar Trophy
* Rohinton Baria Trophy
* Vinoo Mankad Trophy
* Vizzy Trophy

Field hockey|

* Hockey India League
* Premier Hockey League†
* World Series Hockey†

Football|

* Development League†
* Elite Football League†
* I-League
* I-League 2
* I-League 3
* Indian Super League
* Indian Women's League
* National Beach Soccer Championship‎
* National Football League†
* U-19
* Second Division
* Third Division
* Santosh Trophy
* Youth League†

Kabbadi|

* Pro Kabaddi League
* Real Kabaddi League
* Women's Kabaddi Challenge†
* Women's Kabaddi League

Motorsports|

* I1 Super Series^
* Indian Racing League
* Indian Supercross Racing League

Volleyball|

* Indian Volley League†
* Prime Volleyball League
* Pro Volleyball League

Others|

* Rugby Premier League
* Equestrian Premier League
* Futsal Club Championship
* Indian Athletics League^
* Indian Premier Handball League
* National Lawn Tennis Championships†
* Premier Badminton League
* Premier Futsal Championship
* Premier Handball League
* Pro Panja League
* Pro Wrestling League
* Super Boxing League
* Super Fight League
* Tennis Premier League
* Ultimate Kho Kho
* Ultimate Table Tennis
* Shooting League of India

Regional|

| Cricket|

* Andhra Premier League
* Bengal Pro T20 League
* Delhi Premier League T20
* Karnataka Premier League†
* KCA President's Cup T20†
* Madhya Pradesh League
* Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20
* Rajasthan Premier League
* Saurashtra Premier League
* Sher-E-Punjab T20 Cup
* Tamil Nadu Premier League

|

Football|

| North and Central|

* Chhattisgarh Football League Championship
* FD Senior Division
* FD Women's League
* Himachal Football League
* Jammu and Kashmir Premier Football League
* Lucknow Super Division
* Madhya Pradesh Premier League
* Punjab State Super Football League
* Punjab Women's League
* Uttarakhand Super League

|

East and Northeast|

* Indrajit Namchoom Arunachal League
* Assam State Premier League
* Bihar State Soccer League
* Manipur State League
* Manipur Women's League
* Meghalaya State League
* Mizoram Premier League
* Mizoram Women's League
* SSA Women's Football League
* Nagaland
* FAO League
* FAO Women's League
* Sikkim Premier Division League
* Calcutta Football League
* Calcutta Women's Football League

West|

* Goa Football League
* Goa Women's League
* Gujarat SFA Club Championship
* Mumbai Football League
* Pune Football League
* R-League A Division

South|

* Bangalore Football League‎
* Bangalore Super Division
* Chennai Football League
* Karnataka Women's League
* Kerala Premier League
* Kerala Women's League
* Malabar Premier League
* Super League Kerala
* Tamil Nadu Women's League

Others|

* Calcutta Hockey League
* Junior Badminton League
* Maharashtra Kusti Dangal

†Defunct; ^ Proposed
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