Kenya rugby sevens star Patrick Odongo has been selected to compete in the inaugural Rugby Premier League (RPL), a groundbreaking competition launched by Rugby India.
The tournament is set to take place in India from June 1 to June 15.
Touted as a game-changer for the future of rugby sevens, the Rugby Premier League is the world’s first franchise-based rugby sevens league.
The competition will feature stars from the HSBC SVNS Series, according to reports by Rugbypass.
Odongo, who leads the charge for Kenya with 18 tries in this season’s HSBC SVNS competition, is one of 30 high-profile international players drafted into the tournament.
A total of 34 matches will be played across the event, which promises to showcase the best in the sport.
Other big names include USA’s Perry Baker, South Africa’s Rosko Specman, and New Zealand’s Scott Curry, all of whom are coming out of retirement to join current stars like Argentina’s Luciano Gonzalez and New Zealand’s Akuila Rokolisoa.
The matches will be held at the Mumbai Football Arena, with six teams representing major Indian cities: Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, and Bhubaneswar.
The competing teams are: Bengaluru Bravehearts, Chennai Bulls, Delhi Redz, Hyderabad Heroes, Kalinga Black Tigers, and Mumbai Dreamers.
Rugby India is organizing the event with the backing of World Rugby.
The RPL aims to fill a gap in the global rugby sevens calendar, providing an opportunity for the world’s top players to compete alongside India’s emerging rugby talent.
“This league has been six years in the making, and we wanted to make sure everything was done right. The first major breakthrough came when World Rugby granted us a 15-day window during which no international rugby sevens would take place anywhere in the world,” said Rahul Bose, President of Rugby India.
In addition to the marquee players, 18 players from Germany, Hong Kong, China, and Canada will also be drafted into the six teams.
Thirty Indian players will be selected from an auction pool of 71, adding further prestige to this historic tournament.
