How the Telangana Women’s Rugby League is empowering girls through rugby

At 8 a.m. on March 3, the ground at the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Telangana Backward Classes Welfare Residential College in Bibinagar, about 39 kilometres from Hyderabad, slowly transforms into a rugby field. Around 30 girls from across Telangana, including Medchal, Medak, Khammam, Suryapet, Nalgonda, Asifabad and Karimnagar, have gathered here for a practice session ahead of the Telangana Women’s Rugby League 2026, to be held on March 6 at the Gymkhana Grounds in Hyderabad.

“The group will play Rugby 7s — seven players on the field with five substitutes,” says V. Sheshu Babu, secretary of the Black Archers Rugby Club, which is hosting the event. The league is sponsored by the Lions Club of Hyderabad Athena, with support from the Rugby Association of Telangana.

“The first edition in 2025 also had 12 teams, but this year’s league is bigger and better because we have female representation from across the state,” he adds.

Playing rugby

In a huddle
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Special Arrangement

Young women from humble backgrounds are breaking barriers to make a mark in rugby. The memory is still fresh in Korra Nikita Yadav’s mind. “In the Telugu film Sye, a character says, ‘Rugby is not for girls.’ But now they have to eat their words,” says the Hyderabad-based rugby player.

For her friend Bekkam Shruti, a Telangana police constable (law and order), passing the ball on the rugby field comes naturally. She has been playing the sport for more than five years now.

Fast-paced game
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Special Arrangement

Akshaya Reddy Sama has recently traded her love for running for rugby. It has only been a month since she started practising the sport, but she already enjoys it. “I also feel proud that I am the only girl from my college who plays rugby,” says the B.Tech student from Sphoorthy Engineering College in Hyderabad. “Opponents think I’m weak because of my short and thin frame, but they don’t realise how fast I can run,” she laughs.

Developing core strength

Coaching the girls’ rugby team is like a dream come true for Sanu Oran, who is also the captain of the senior men’s rugby team. “Village girls are tough on the field. They run fast, play on muddy grounds, and small scratches while playing don’t bother them. I only ask the athletes to build their core strength and eat clean, healthy food so they can become good players and build a career in rugby,” he says.

Kamakshi Aggarwal
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Special Arrangement

Kamakshi Aggarwal, president of the Lions Club of Hyderabad Athena, has been associated with the Telangana Women’s Rugby League since 2024. The first league match held in Bowenpally was a learning experience for her, as she understood both the struggles the players face and their determination to pursue a demanding sport.

“It’s inspiring,” she says. “Sometimes we don’t understand the difference between luxury and necessity. What is a basic necessity for us is often a luxury for them, as they travel from remote areas just to play in the league.”

Preparing for the league match
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Special arrangement

The league matches, she adds, help players discover their strengths and weaknesses. “These platforms are important for the girls to showcase their skills. The matches give them rhythm and, most importantly, help them train for selections. The more tournaments they play, the more it will benefit them at the national level.”

As the girls practise rugby basics — the tackle, maul, line-out and scrum — Sheshu reminds them that the sport teaches lessons beyond the field. “It’s a tough game, but rugby teaches you to keep going even when things get difficult,” he says.