Indian sports wrap, April 27: Rugby Premier League to have women’s franchises; S8UL to represent India at Worlds

RUGBY

Rugby Premier League Season 2 introduces women’s franchises

The second edition of the Rugby Premier League will introduce women’s franchises, building on the success of the men’s league in the 2025 season.

Four of the existing six men’s teams—Chennai Bulls (owned by Avid Sys Sports), Delhi Redz (owned by RMZ Corp), Mumbai Dreamers (owned by Dream Sports), and Kolkata Banga Tigers (owned by Hunch Ventures), formerly Kalinga Black Tigers and now relocated from Bhubaneswar to Kolkata—will also field women’s teams.

“It has always been our dream at Rugby India to have an RPL Women’s edition. This year, that dream comes to fruition,” Rahul Bose, President, Rugby India, said.

The 2026 edition of the Rugby Premier League is scheduled to be held from June 16–28 at Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad. The player draft and auction for the four women’s teams and six men’s teams, including Hyderabad Heroes and Bengaluru Bravehearts, will take place in Hyderabad on April 30.

Sujoy Ganguly, CMO, GMR Sports, added, “At GMR Sports, we have always believed in building platforms that drive meaningful change in Indian sport. The inclusion of women’s teams in the Rugby Premier League is a natural and important progression for the league.”

– Team Sportstar

ESPORTS

S8UL wins national qualifier to seal spot in Pokémon UNITE World Championship

S8UL won the India Qualifier of the Pokémon UNITE World Championship Series 2026, and will now represent the country at the Worlds in San Francisco between August 28 and 30.

The tournament will feature a prize pool of USD 500,000 (~INR 4.7 crore).

The India Qualifier featured a double-elimination format, with all matches played as best-of-three series except the grand finals, which were contested in a best-of-five showdown.

Led by Captain Manmohan Singh (All Might), the S8UL roster comprising Anklesh Satelkar (Novaa), Darshan Nate (Kai), Naitik Jain (Wolf), and Md Sarim Hasan (Qing) delivered a commanding performance throughout the tournament.

With the win in the qualifier, S8UL claimed USD 15,000 (~INR 14.1 lakh) from the tournament’s overall USD 25,000 (~INR 23.5 lakh) prize pool.

“For us, the focus was on staying disciplined, communicating clearly, and adapting quickly in every match. I’m proud of the way everyone on the team stepped up when it mattered most,” Manmohan Singh, aka All Might, Captain of S8UL’s Pokémon UNITE team, said.

– Team Sportstar

MOTORSPORTS

Johann Emmanuel becomes first Indian rider to win QSTK 600 championship

India’s Johann Emmanuel, astride a Kawasaki ZX-6, scripted history by becoming the first from his country to win the coveted Qatar Superstock 600 Championship (QSTK) by winning both the races in the postponed final round on Friday to provide a grand climax to his debut season in this class.

The 19-year-old Chennai-based Johann, trailing championship leader Marton Belleli from Hungary by nine points going into the weekend’s double-header, needed to win both races to seal the title, and he delivered in a stunning fashion.

Qualifying second, Johann won both races, withstanding immense pressure to clinch the championship with a 21-point advantage. He finished the season with six wins out of 10 races, having endured a 200 km/h crash and three retirements due to mechanical issues.

“It’s an incredible feeling to secure my first international title in my debut season on a 600cc machine. I was thrilled after the race. Every bit of hard work and sacrifice was worth it. But this is just the beginning, and there’s still a long way ahead,” Johann said.

– Team Sportstar

Mascarenhas, Karumbaiah finish seventh on WRC3 debut, 48th overall

Indian rally driver Dean Mascarenhas and co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah finished seven on their WRC3 class debut at the Rally Islas Canarias in Las Palmas, Spain.

Driving a Ford Fiesta Rally 3 prepared by PH Sport, the Indian pair finished overall 48th and seventh in their WRC3 class.

“We overcame brake issues and settled down, and on Saturday the focus has been on regrouping and learning as much as possible from every kilometre. Every stage taught us something new,” Mascarenhas said in a release.

– PTI

Published on Apr 27, 2026