Rugby Sevens-World's first franchise-based league to start in Mumbai in June
April 4 (Reuters) - The world's first franchise-based rugby sevens league, the Rugby Premier League (RPL), will get under way in Mumbai in June, organisers Rugby India and GMR Sports said on Friday.
A dedicated window on the global rugby sevens calendar for the RPL has ensured the participation of some of the world's leading players alongside Indian talent.
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The six teams are Bengaluru Bravehearts, Chennai Bulls, Delhi Redz, Hyderabad Heroes, Kalinga Black Tigers, and the Mumbai Dreamers, with 34 matches to be played over 15 days.
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"World Rugby ... gave us a 15-day window in which no international rugby sevens would be played anywhere in the world," said President of Rugby India Rahul Bose.
"This made the best global rugby players available to us."
The tournament will welcome 30 marquee international players from the leading rugby sevens nations, including Argentina, South Africa, Kenya, Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Fiji, USA, and Ireland.
Three-times Olympian Perry Baker of the United States, New Zealand's 2021 Olympic silver medallist Scott Curry and Ireland's former World Rugby 7s Player of the Year Terry Kennedy are among the players who will feature in the RPL.
There will also be 18 international players from Canada, Hong Kong and Germany in the league, which will include 30 Indian players selected from an auction pool of 71.
RPL will be staged from June 1-15 at the Mumbai Football Arena.
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