India's Women's Rugby 7s squad will have 13 players and will be captained by Shikha Yadav
They will begin their campaign in the first week of October against Hong Kong
India finished 7th in 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou
Led by Shikha Yadav, India on Monday announced a 13-member senior women's rugby sevens squad for the 2026 Asian Games.
The competition is scheduled to take place from October 1-3 in Nagoya.
India have been drawn in Pool B alongside defending champions China, Hong Kong China and Malaysia.
India made Asian Games debut in women's Rugby Sevens at 2010 Guangzhou Games before missing the 2014 and 2018 editions. The team returned at Hangzhou 2022, where they finished seventh.
Six players from the Hangzhou 2022 squad are part of India's current Asian Games group, providing continuity as the team returns to the continental multi-sport stage.
Captain Shikha, Sandhya Rai, Mama Naik and Dumuni Marndi are among the returning players, alongside Kalyani Patil and Vashnavi Patil.
The team enters the Asian Games following a year of regular international competition, including its second consecutive season in the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series.
India finished sixth in Round 1 of the 2026 Series in Suzhou, matching its result from the previous year.
"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," head coach Paul Delport said.
Rugby India President Rahul Bose added, "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".
"The continuity from Hangzhou 2022 is encouraging, while the progress the team has made through regular international competition has been important to their development."
Indian women's rugby sevens squad: Shikha Yadav (C), Dumuni Marndi (VC), Amandeep Kaur, Arti Kumari, Bhumika Shukla, Vaishnavi Patil, Guriya Kumari, Kalyani Patil, Mama Naik, Nirmalya Rout, Sandhya Rai, Sandhyarani Tudu, Ujjwala Ghuge.
