India Name 13-Member Women’s Rugby Sevens Squad for Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games

India has named a 13-member women’s rugby sevens squad for the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, where the team will look to improve on its seventh-place finish from the previous edition in Hangzhou.

The squad features a mix of experienced players and new names as India prepares for another opportunity to test itself against the leading rugby sevens nations in Asia. The selected group includes Amandeep Kaur, Guriya Kumari, Ujjwala Ramdas Ghuge, Parbati Hansdah, Arti Kumari, Dumuni Marndi, Vaishnavi Dattatray Patil, Kalyani Krishnat Patil, Sandhya Rai, Nirmalya Rout, Bhumika Shukla, Sandhyarani Tudu and Shikha Yadav.

The Asian Games will provide an important benchmark for the Indian women's programme, which continues to develop in a region where teams such as Japan, China and Hong Kong China have traditionally set high standards.

Rugby sevens is a fast-paced version of the sport, with seven players on each side and matches played over shorter periods. The format places enormous demands on speed, endurance, ball handling and defensive organisation, with momentum capable of changing rapidly during a match.

For India, the 2026 campaign will be about translating preparation into more competitive performances against the continent's strongest teams. India's women's rugby sevens team finished seventh at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games after a difficult group-stage campaign.

India faced a demanding pool that included Hong Kong China, Japan and Singapore. The team lost all three group matches, going down 0-38 to Hong Kong China, 0-45 to Japan and 0-15 to Singapore. The results underlined the gap India faced against more established rugby sevens programmes.

Japan dominated the group, winning all three matches and progressing to the semifinals alongside Hong Kong China. Singapore and India entered the classification phase, with India eventually finishing seventh overall.

The final ranking was a reminder of the work required for Indian rugby to consistently compete with the continent's leading sides.

However, the Asian Games also offered valuable experience. Competing against high-level opposition exposes players to the pace and physicality required at international level, and the lessons from Hangzhou will be important as the programme enters another Asian Games cycle.

A new squad for a fresh challenge

The 13-member squad for Aichi-Nagoya 2026 features several players who will be expected to play important roles across the tournament.

Sandhya Rai and Shikha Yadav return as key names with previous Asian Games experience, while Dumuni Marndi and Vaishnavi Dattatray Patil are also part of the selected group. The squad also includes Amandeep Kaur, Guriya Kumari, Ujjwala Ramdas Ghuge, Parbati Hansdah, Arti Kumari, Kalyani Krishnat Patil, Nirmalya Rout, Bhumika Shukla and Sandhyarani Tudu.

With rugby sevens requiring a combination of physical intensity and tactical awareness, squad depth will be critical. The short format demands repeated high-intensity efforts, and teams need the ability to maintain their pace across multiple matches during a tournament.

Unlike the traditional 15-a-side version of rugby, sevens creates considerably more space on the field. That places greater emphasis on acceleration, one-on-one defending and decision-making under pressure. A missed tackle or turnover can quickly lead to a scoring opportunity, making discipline and defensive communication essential.

For India, these areas will be crucial if the team is to close the gap on the stronger Asian nations.

The immediate target for India will be to improve on their seventh-place finish from Hangzhou. That will require the team to produce more competitive performances in the group stage and create opportunities to progress deeper into the knockout rounds. The difference between the strongest teams and developing programmes in rugby sevens is often visible in the speed of execution. Leading teams can move the ball quickly, exploit space and maintain defensive organisation even during repeated phases of play.

https://www.indiasportshub.com/articles/india-rugby-sevens-drawn-with-china-hong-kong-and-malaysia-at-asian-games-2026-after-winless-hangzhou-campaign

India's challenge will therefore be to combine physical intensity with better tactical control. The squad will also need to manage the demands of tournament rugby. Multiple matches in a short period make recovery, substitutions and player rotation particularly important.

Every player in the 13-member group could therefore have an important role to play.

For Indian rugby, the Asian Games remain one of the most significant international opportunities available to the women's programme. The tournament provides direct competition against Asia's best and a platform to measure the progress made over the previous four years. The Hangzhou campaign showed the scale of the challenge, but Aichi-Nagoya presents a fresh opportunity.

India will travel with a new group of players and the objective of moving beyond the lower classification matches. A stronger group-stage performance would be the first step, followed by the challenge of competing more consistently against higher-ranked opponents.

The 2026 Asian Games will not only be about the final ranking. It will also provide a test of India's depth, development and ability to execute under international pressure. For the 13 players selected, Aichi-Nagoya represents an opportunity to take Indian women's rugby sevens forward and demonstrate progress since Hangzhou. Improving on seventh place will be the immediate goal. Producing performances that show India can challenge stronger teams could be the more important step for the long-term growth of the programme.

India’s 13-member women’s rugby sevens squad for the 2026 Asian Games: Amandeep Kaur, Guriya Kumari, Ujjwala Ramdas Ghuge, Parbati Hansdah, Arti Kumari, Dumuni Marndi, Vaishnavi Dattatray Patil, Kalyani Krishnat Patil, Sandhya Rai, Nirmalya Rout, Bhumika Shukla, Sandhyarani Tudu and Shikha Yadav.