The Indian audience was bombarded with a cricket late. The Border-Gavaskar trophy between November and January, the England-Ball series, then the championship trophy and the Indian Premier League-it really happened.
And it’s not that it was over. The final of the World Cup in the test took place between 11th-15th. June and after just a week of leakage, the test calendar will be renewed when India receives England in 5-match test series starting from 20 June.
Fortunately, in New India, if you are bored with cricket, there are other options. One of them is the ongoing Ultimate Tennis Championship in Ahmedabad, where some of the world’s best players are now participating.
UTT is in its sixth season, with the final scheduled 15 June, Sunday. However, if you have already missed this bus, India can recommend something else today – a league that is played for the first time.
What is the new sport, do you ask? It is the Rugby Premier League, the first Indian franchise rugby league Sevens League. The tournament takes place in the Andheri sports complex in Mumbai and will take place in June 29.
Bengaluru Bravehearts, Chennai Bulls, Delhi Redz, Hyderabad Heroes, Kalinga Black Tigers and Mumbai Dreamers are six franchises of contestants for the championship.
RPL will present 30 Premier International players from the main rugby Sevens nations, including New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Fiji, Argentina, Great Britain, Ireland, the United States and Spain. The competition will also include 18 foreign players from Canada, Hong Kong and Germany, which increases the competitive depth of the league. In addition to foreign luminaires, GMR RPL will include 30 Indian players.
India today He caught up with the most expensive player of the tournament – Mohit Khatri, sold for? 4,75 lakh in the very first auction of RPL.
Excerpts
Why should one watch rugby?
Rugby is a combination of several sports. You will see flashes of several different games. You will find athletics, you will find Kabaddi, football – the sport is skills of different games. Most importantly, it is a contact sport that attracts people. If you accidentally switch the channel, I think people will enjoy it very much and will connect to sports.
As for the amount of money, is it good in terms of rugby?
Look, I’ll tell you what. The amount is decent if I consider it from the perspective of the first season. I didn’t expect anything. I thought if the league happened, it would be great. Sport gains some popularity. This is a game that can become a big one. I didn’t think of a large or small amount.
This is the beginning of the new rugby era for India. This will change many things for sport and players. It will also help the national team. As soon as it lasts for 2-3 seasons, professionalism will come and things will improve. After getting good dynamics, I will think about what could be good.
Is it a sport -intensive sport?
Not at the beginning. You can only wear shoes, get a set and start playing. But on a professional level, the cost of food is very large, professional training costs a lot, the coaches of strength and conditioning cost a lot, you will also need a very good trainer in the gym – only then you can see the result.
What was the way of Mohit Khatri in Rugby Sport?
I was in class 6-7 when I was introduced to sport. One of my older brothers played sport. One day he went to training, caught me when I wanted to play cricket. He said, “Why do you play this cricket and football? Come, play rugby with me.” I went because I should have a trip, hang up and relax. And then slowly I think I took sport. As soon as I started playing all year round, I began to think: “What am I training? What is the final goal here?” I lost a lot at the beginning. Then it was just about finding that one victory. As soon as I started to win regularly with the team, then the focus moved on to balance the game and balanced nutrition and equalized training.
In 2015 I went to the national team camp and since then I have represented the country in Rugby’s seven and fifteen. Recently, in 2024, I got the captain of the national team.
Why is Haryan right now so the focus of athletes in India?
Mostly in Haryana is thinking – when you have free time, you get into physical activity – whether it’s running, gym or occupation of sport. If you take a sport, you will eventually fall in love with it so much that you want to reach the peak. You start in the district, then the state and then in the national team.
Once you fall in love with the game, nothing can stop you.
Do parents bring this mentality in Haryana? Or are you inspired by the character?
See if someone inspires you or look at someone that takes about 15 days. It’s like a New Year’s resolution – that I will hit the gym. However, some start in despair – to improve their family status, some want to improve, others want to make their identity. In Haryana you will find open support from households.
Think about wrestling – they have such a large diet that they accept loans to help them maintain their nutrition. I saw parents supporting this effort in Haryana. Once the child sees it, more often than they do not want to return to their parents through sport.
We will not allow it to try to waste – there is a sense of responsibility.
Can you tell us about the standard of Indian rugby?
The Indian rugby team is on 13th place in Asia. The Premier League Rugby will have 5 awning players in each team – Olympic players. Three players will come from Hong Kong, Canada and Germany and 5 other players are Indian in each team.
The rule of the game is that at least 2 players from each category will have to play in the team. When we train with them, we will be able to find out the gaps in our game. We will adjust the good things, learn skills and hopefully it will increase the level of Indian rugby. This will be a huge help young people who will get at the beginning of their career.
Rugby Premier League: Rules and Details of Live Stream
Each party will have 13 players, with two Indians they had to be on the pitch at all times all the time. There will be seven players on the playground of the game at any moment. Seven players are then divided into three attackers and four backs. The initial seven GMR RPL players will include two international players, two international bridge players, two Indian players and one coach. Each game will consist of four quarters, each lasting four minutes, with a two -minute rest between each phase.
One game is planned for no more than 22 minutes.
Season 1 RPL will be broadcast live on selected 1 and select 1 HD TV channels in India. Along with this, the league will be streaming live on Jiohotstar.
Published:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
June 15, 2025
