Kolkata: India have announced their 13-member Senior Women’s Rugby Sevens squad for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, with the competition set to take place from October 1 to 3 in Nagoya, Japan.
The Indian women’s team will compete at the Mizuho Park Rugby Field, where they have been placed in Pool B alongside defending champions China, Hong Kong China and Malaysia.
The Asian Games will mark another significant appearance for India’s Women’s Rugby Sevens programme. India made its Asian Games debut in the discipline at Guangzhou 2010, but was absent from the 2014 and 2018 editions. The team returned at Hangzhou 2022, finishing seventh.
India will enter the Nagoya Games with six players from the Hangzhou campaign in the squad, providing continuity to the team. Shikha Yadav, Sandhya Rai, Mama Naik, Dumuni Marndi, Kalyani Patil and Vaishnavi Patil are among the players returning to the Asian Games stage.
The squad has also gained international exposure through a busy season, including India’s second consecutive campaign in the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series. India finished sixth in Round 1 of the 2026 series in Suzhou, matching its position from the previous year.
The team has been preparing for the Asian Games at a national camp at the Sports Authority of India’s Netaji Subhas Eastern Centre in Kolkata. The extended camp has focused on combinations, tactical execution, physical conditioning and match preparation ahead of the tournament.
Head coach Paul Delport said the Asian Games had been an important target for the team throughout the season and stressed the need for consistency and composure against strong opposition.
“The Asian Games is an important opportunity for this group and one that we have been building towards over the course of the season. We know the level of competition we will face, and our focus has been on preparing the players to be consistent in our execution, stay composed under pressure and trust the work we have put in,” Delport said.
Rugby India President Rahul Bose said the tournament would provide an important platform for the country’s women rugby players, while highlighting the continuity from the Hangzhou Games and the team’s international exposure.
“The Asian Games is one of the most important platforms for our athletes to represent India, and it is particularly significant for our Women’s Rugby Sevens programme as we return to the Games for the second time in succession,” Bose said.
India Women’s Rugby Sevens Squad
- Shikha Yadav (Captain)
- Dumuni Marndi (Vice-Captain)
- Amandeep Kaur
- Arti Kumari
- Bhumika Shukla
- Vaishnavi Patil
- Guriya Kumari
- Kalyani Patil
- Mama Naik
- Nirmalya Rout
- Sandhya Rai
- Sandhyarani Tudu
- Ujjwala Ghuge
India’s Asian Games Schedule
India will begin its Pool B campaign on October 1, playing two matches on the opening day. The final pool-stage match against Malaysia will be played on October 2, before the knockout and classification matches on October 3.
| Date | Time (IST) | Match |
|---|---|---|
| October 1 | 8:50 AM | India vs Hong Kong China |
| October 1 | 3:30 PM | India vs China |
| October 2 | 8:50 AM | India vs Malaysia |
| October 3 | TBC | Knockout & Classification Matches |
The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games will therefore be an important test for India’s women’s rugby programme, with the team aiming to build on its experience from Hangzhou and its recent international campaign.
