Rugby Premier League (RPL) will have its inaugural women's edition in June with four franchise teams competing, the organisers announced on Monday.
Four of the six men's teams which competed in the RPL in 2025 will also field women's teams when the league is held from June 16-28 at Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad.
The four teams are Chennai Bulls (owned by Avid Sys Sports), Delhi Redz (RMZ Corp), Mumbai Dreamers (Dream Sports) and Kolkata Banga Tigers (Hunch Ventures).
GMR Sports, in partnership with Rugby India, is organising the league.
The player draft and auction for the four women's teams and six men's teams, including Hyderabad Heroes and Bengaluru Bravehearts, will take place in Hyderabad on April 30.
The HSBC Rugby Premier League builds on the strong foundation of its debut season held in Mumbai last year, which featured six men's franchises.
Speaking on the introduction of the women's tournament, Rugby India President Rahul Bose said: "It has always been our dream at Rugby India to have an RPL Women edition. This year that dream comes to fruition.
"We have our partners, GMR Sports and our wonderful franchises to thank. Women's 7s rugby across the world is as exciting as Men's 7s rugby."
{{/usCountry}}"We have our partners, GMR Sports and our wonderful franchises to thank. Women's 7s rugby across the world is as exciting as Men's 7s rugby."
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