Mumbai, October 10, 2026: Rugby India has announced the Senior Men’s and Women’s squads for Round 2 of the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series (ARESS) 2026, scheduled for October 17-18 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Following Round 1 in Suzhou, China, both teams return to the Series looking to build on their performances. The Senior Women finished sixth at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, recording their highest finish at the Games, after also finishing sixth in Round 1 of ARESS 2026. The Senior Men, meanwhile, will look to build on their experience from their debut campaign in the Series’ top division, where they secured a win and finished 12th.
The Senior Women have been drawn in Pool D alongside Japan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran, the same opponents they faced in Round 1. The Senior Men will compete in Pool A against Hong Kong China, the UAE and hosts Sri Lanka.
Both teams will face their respective Round 1 champions in the pool stage, with the Senior Men taking on Hong Kong China and the Senior Women facing Japan. Hong Kong China won the men’s title in Suzhou, while Japan claimed the women’s crown.
The two-day competition in Colombo will conclude the 2026 Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series, with the overall men’s and women’s champions to be decided following Round 2.
Final Squads
Senior Men’s Team
Mohit Khatri (C), Sumit Kumar Roy (VC), Ajay Deswal, Arpan Chhetri, Aryan Dixit, Asis Sabar, Deepak Punia, Deshraj Singh, Ganesh Majhi, Hitesh Dagar, Jugal Majhi, Shivam Shukla, Shridhar Nigade.
Senior Women’s Team
Bhumika Shukla (C), Vaishnavi Patil (VC), Amandeep Kaur, Arati Murmu, Arti Kumari, Athira K P, Dumuni Marndi, Kalyani Patil, Mama Naik, Nirmalya Rout, Sandhya Rai, Shikha Yadav, Sweety Kumari.