Kenya Sevens forward Kevin Wekesa in action against South Africa in the Hong Kong Sevens/FILE
Talismanic Kenya Sevens forward Kevin Wekesa will become the second Shujaa player to feature in the inaugural Rugby Premier League in India from June 15-29.
Wekesa will follow speedster Patrick Odongo and play alongside other big Sevens stars like Perry Baker, Rosko Specman and Scott Curry, who will come out of retirement as they join a group of 30 world-class marquee internationals.
While Odongo will play for the Delhi Redz under the leadership of the legendary Tomasi Cama, Wekesa is set to feature for the Hyderabad Heroes, coached by DJ Forbes.
Players from Argentina, South Africa, Great Britain, Spain, the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and Ireland will take part in the inaugural edition.
Wekesa, a Kabras utility forward, is delighted to be considered. “It’s an honour to play in a magnitude of this tournament, playing alongside the best players in the world. I’m relishing the battle,” observed Wekesa.
The Rugby Premier League will become the world’s first franchise-based league, with HSBC SVNS Series stars set to take part.
Major Indian cities will be represented with Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bhubaneswar, the six citybased franchises.
The teams are Bengaluru Bravehearts, Chennai Bulls, Delhi Redz, Hyderabad Heroes, Kalinga Black Tigers and Mumbai Dreamers. With the support of World Rugby, this ground-breaking tournament will take place during a gap in the global rugby Sevens calendar, which ensures the world’s best participate alongside India’s finest rugby talent.
“This is a league that’s been six years in the making, but we wanted to do everything right. The first extraordinary development came thanks to World Rugby, who gave a 15-day window in which no international rugby Sevens would be played anywhere in the world,” Rahul Bose, President of Rugby India, said in a statement.
