Rugby: India Rugby Premier League Set to “Redefine the future” of Sevens

Rugby Premier League Format & Draft

In recent years, the demand for professional sports teams has risen exponentially, and as a result, we have seen franchise-based leagues boom, spanning the most popular sports like football and cricket to more niche ones like skiing and pickleball. 

In 2024, the Indian Premier League was the most watched cricket league globally, while other events such as the UFC, LIV Golf, Baller League and the Pro Kabaddi League have taken the world by storm, attracting some of the best athletes in their respective sports. 

RPL was founded in 2024 by Rugby India, and in December last year, the organisation secured a 10-year partnership with GMR Sports to launch the league in 2025. It has now been confirmed that the official dates for the brand new tournament will be between June 1-15. 

The league will feature six teams battling across a 34-match schedule at the Mumbai Football Arena. Each franchise team is allowed 13 players, five of whom must be local Indian players, while a maximum of five international players and three bridge players are allowed.

The format of the competition includes:

• The competition will run over 15 days
• Weekdays will feature two games per night
• Weekends will feature three games per night
• The pool stage will be played on a double-round-robin format 
• There will be two semi-finals, a bronze medal match and a one-off final

All participating teams in the RPL will play a maximum of 10 games during the pool stage and two playoff matches across the 15-day tournament. Teams that finish with the most points during the pool stage move on to the knockout rounds. 

Don’t forget to check out our rugby prediction prior to the start of the RPL 2025 season. 

Rugby predictions

Rugby Premier League Teams & Players

Earlier this month, the RPL announced the six teams that will feature in the inaugural edition of the competition. These are: 

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

Similar to the IPL and PKL in India, the Rugby Premier League includes a player auction, which allows teams to enter a bidding war to purchase the players they would like as part of their team, both locally and abroad. 

While the RPL is nowhere close to offering the riches that we saw at the IPL auction last year, there are still several international stars set to feature in the inaugural season, including the likes of Perry Baker, Rosko Specman, Scott Curry, Luciano Gonzalez and Akuila Rokolisoa.

Additionally, the competition will feature some of the most renowned rugby coaches globally, such as Ben Gollings (former Fiji 7s head coach), Tomias Cama (New Zealand 7s head coach) and Mike Friday (former USA 7s head coach), among others. 

Anticipation is building for the kickoff of the Rugby Premier League on June 1, and you can keep up to date with every moment of the competition right here on SportyTrader using our rugby livescore tool free of charge. 

Rugby predictions