BHUBANESWAR: Four women rugby players from Odisha have been named in the 13-member Indian senior Rugby Sevens team that will represent the country at the 2026 Asian Games from October 1 to 3 at the Paloma Mizuho Rugby Stadium, in Nagoya, Japan.
Shikha Yadav will lead the team as captain while Odisha’s Dumuni Marandi will accompany her as vice-captain. Other three Odisha players are Nirmalya Rout, Mama Naik and Sandhyarani Tudu. India has been drawn in Pool B alongside defending champions China, Hong Kong, China, and Malaysia. The Asian Games present a significant milestone for India’s Women’s Rugby Sevens programme.
India made its debut in this category at the 2010 Asian Games but missed the 2014 and 2018 editions. The team returned for the Hangzhou 2022 Games, finishing seventh. Among Six players, two Odisha players Dumuni Marandi and Mama Naik from the Hangzhou 2022 squad remain in the current group. Returning players include Shikha Yadav, Sandhya Rai, Mama Naik, Dumuni Marndi, Kalyani Patil, and Vaishnavi Patil.
“Indian rugby teams regularly participate in many international tournaments, but the Asian Games is altogether a different ball game. Before the team announcement a national training camp was held at the Sports Authority of India’s Netaji Subhas Eastern Centre in Kolkata, focusing on team combinations, tactics, conditioning, and match readiness”, said Odisha Rugby Football Association Vice-President Upendra Kumar Mohanty.
Indian 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, and Ujjwala Ghuge.