The Rugby Premier League has concluded its Season 2 Player Auction and Draft in Hyderabad, with all franchises assembling strong, competitive squads for the upcoming season.
The women's franchises made their historic debut, with Chennai Bulls, Mumbai Dreamers, Kolkata Banga Tigers, and Delhi Redz building their inaugural squads.
The men's and women's competitions will be held at Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad, from June 16 to 28.
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.
West Bengal's Sumit Kumar Roy emerged as the highest-paid Indian player at ₹3.75 lakh for Hyderabad Heroes, followed by Mohit Khatri at ₹3.5 lakh with Chennai Bulls, and Deepak Kumar Punia and Prashant Arvind Pratap Singh, both picked up for ₹2.75 lakh by Delhi Redz and Kolkata Banga Tigers respectively.
Delhi's Shikha Yadav led the Indian signings as the highest-paid player at ₹2.4 lakh for Delhi Redz, followed by Bhumika Shukla at ₹2.2 lakh with Mumbai Dreamers, while Nirmalya Rout and Amandeep Kaur were all secured for ₹1.6 lakh by Kolkata Banga Tigers and Chennai Bulls, respectively.
With squads now finalised, teams will shift focus to pre-season preparations as the Rugby Premier League continues to build momentum as one of the country's premier rugby platforms.
