India Women records best-ever finish in Asian Rugby Sevens Series second leg

The Indian women’s rugby sevens team finished fifth at the Asian Rugby Sevens Series Round 2 in Sri Lanka. | Photo Credit: Rugby India

The Indian women’s rugby sevens team recorded its best performance at the Asian Rugby Sevens Series by finishing fifth in the second leg of the 2026 edition in Sri Lanka on Sunday, October 18.

Shikha Yadav and Co. confirmed its fifth place finish with a 19-12 victory over Thailand in the 5th-place classification match.

It finished second in its group behind Japan, and ahead of UAE and Iran. It lost its quarterfinal Hong Kong-China, but recovered to defeat UAE and Thailand in its classification matches.

Captain Shikha led India’s try-scoring charts in Colombo with four tries, followed by Kalyani Patil and Mama Naik with two tries each. Parbati Hansdah led the conversion tally with four successful conversions, while Bhumika Shukla contributed two.

ALSO READ: With improved standards and growing reputation, Indian women’s rugby 7s team no more a lightweight

Coach Paul Delport said, “I’m incredibly proud of the way the girls performed in Colombo. Finishing fifth and securing our first-ever win against Thailand are significant achievements for this group. We showed that we can compete with established teams in Asia, and the players deserve a lot of credit for the work they have put in. There is still plenty of room to grow, but this performance gives us a strong foundation to build on.”

The women’s side finished sixth in the 2025 edition of the tournament, and matched that performance in the first leg of the tournament in Thailand ahead of the Asian Games.

It also produced its best-ever performance at the Asian Games, finishing sixth and securing its first wins at the continential event.

Meanwhile, the men’s side finished 11th in Colombo, recording one win in six matches. The team concluded its campaign with a 29-5 victory over Uzbekistan, closing its ARESS Round 2 campaign on a winning note.