SUMIT KUMAR ROY leads Indian men signings for Hyderabad Heroes at INR 3.75L while Shikha Yadav was the top Indian buys for Delhi Redz at INR 2.4L in the inaugural women’s auction at the HSBC Rugby Premier League Draft & Auction held in Hyderabad.
In a landmark moment for Indian rugby, the women’s franchises also participated in the Auction and Draft, with Chennai Bulls, Mumbai Dreamers, Kolkata Banga Tigers and Delhi Redz building their inaugural squads. Both the men’s and women’s competitions will be held at Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad, from June 16 to 28, 2026, a media release said.
The Auction and Draft marked a significant step forward for the league, with six men’s and four women’s franchises strategically building balanced line-ups featuring a mix of experienced internationals and emerging Indian talent. The men’s franchises, Delhi Redz, Hyderabad Heroes, Kolkata Banga Tigers, Chennai Bulls, Mumbai Dreamers and Bengaluru Bravehearts made their picks, with West Bengal’s Sumit Kumar Roy emerging as the highest-paid Indian player at INR 3.75L for Hyderabad Heroes, followed by Mohit Khatri at INR 3.5L with Chennai Bulls, and Deepak Kumar Punia and Prashant Arvind Pratap Singh, both picked up for INR 2.75L by Delhi Redz and Kolkata Banga Tigers respectively.
The Women’s Auction and Draft saw Chennai Bulls, Mumbai Dreamers, Kolkata Banga Tigers and Delhi Redz build their inaugural squads, further expanding the competitive landscape of the Rugby Premier League. Delhi’s Shikha Yadav led the Indian signings as the highest-paid player at INR 2.4L for Delhi Redz, followed by Bhumika Shukla at INR 2.2L with Mumbai Dreamers, while Nirmalya Rout and Amandeep Kaur were all secured for INR 1.6L by Kolkata Banga Tigers and Chennai Bulls respectively, rounding off the top buys across the four teams, the release added.
