Rugby Premier League

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

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

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

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

• Rugby Premier League features two matches per night on weekdays and three matches per night on weekends.
• Matches last 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 play a maximum of 10 pool games and two playoff matches.[17]

Auction and draft

Each RPL franchise consists 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 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

Editions and results

Performance by teams

Broadcasting

India: Others:

• JioHotstar
• Star Sports

• RugbyPass TV

Sponsorship

See also

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

External links

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