Rugby
India squads announced for Asia Rugby U20 Rugby 7s C'ships 2025
Sumit Kumar Roy and Bhumika Shukla named as captains of the Indian men's and women's teams respectively.
India U20 Men’s squad for the Asia Rugby U20 Rugby 7s Championship 2025. (Photo credit: Rugby India)
The Indian Rugby Football Union has officially announced the U20 Men’s and Women’s national squads for the upcoming Asia Rugby Emirates U20 Rugby 7s Championship 2025, set to take place on August 9–10 in Rajgir, Bihar.
The final teams were selected following a national coaching camp that began on July 3 at the Sports Authority of India’s Netaji Subhas Eastern Centre in Kolkata. The tournament will mark a major milestone, with both Indian squads competing on home soil against top Asian rugby nations.
In the Men’s category, the participating teams include India, China, UAE, Hong Kong China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. For the Women’s category, Nepal joins the fray in place of Malaysia.
Rahul Bose, President of the Indian Rugby Football Union, expressed confidence in the selected squads, stating, “The Asia Rugby U20 7s Championship is a tournament where a player’s international future starts taking shape. We especially look forward to seeing this year, both our men’s and women’s teams competing side by side on home soil. My heartfelt congratulations to every player selected—may this be the beginning of something truly special for you, and for the sport.”
Leading the Indian U20 Men’s team will be Sumit Kumar Roy from West Bengal, with Karan Rajbhar named as Vice-Captain. Notably, Rajasthan’s Rajan Rawat has received his first India call-up. The U20 Women’s team will be captained by Bhumika Shukla of Rajasthan, with Tanushree Bhosale from Maharashtra as her deputy.
“We’ve put in weeks of hard work and now we’re ready to make it count. Representing India at home is a special honour for all of us. We want to play cool-headed, attacking rugby, shoulder to shoulder with each other and make the country proud,” said Men’s team captain Sumit Kumar Roy.
Women’s captain Bhumika Shukla added, “This team is full of heart and hunger. We’ve bonded well and built a rhythm. We look forward to playing in front of our home crowds and making a name for Indian women’s rugby.”
This marks the first time since 2022 that both Indian U20 squads will compete together at the continental level.
The Indian U20 Men’s team will be coached by Francisco ‘Paco’ Hernandez, a former captain of Spain’s national 7s team and an Olympian with over 290 international caps. Hernandez recently coached the Bengaluru Bravehearts in the inaugural GMR Rugby Premier League. He will be supported by Assistant Coach Terence Joseph.
The Indian U20 Women’s team will be coached by Kiano Fourie, with Tilak Raj as his assistant. Fourie has been instrumental in Rugby India’s development structure since 2022, starting with Bihar’s youth rugby program and currently also coaching the India U18 Girls team.
Final Squads:
Indian U20 Men’s Team: Sumit Kumar Roy (C), Karan Rajbhar (VC), Ajit Nag, Bharat Kisan, Charan, Hembram, David Munda, Deshraj Singh, Goldan Kumar, Rajan Rawat, Rohit Shaw, Sagar Prakash, Shivam
Indian U20 Women’s Team: Bhumika Shukla (C), Tanushree Bhosale (VC), Aarti Kumari, Akshaya NS, Alpana Kumari, Anshu Kumari, Guriya Kumari, Kyra Vincent, Mahak, Mamali Singh, Muskan Piploda, Ritu Majhi
