New Delhi: Indian Rugby Football Union President Rahul Bose claimed that in India, out of 760 districts, Rugby is played in 322, which is approximately 40% of the country's districts.
Under Bose Rugby India organised the inaugural edition of the Rugby Premier League (RPL) in India started from June 15. RPL is the first-ever franchise-based league in the world and has six founding franchises in the opening edition. The franchises, Bengaluru Bravehearts, Chennai Bulls, Delhi Redz, Hyderabad Heroes, Kalinga Black Tigers, and the Mumbai Dreamers.
While speaking to ANI, Rahul Bose said, "There are 760 districts in India, approximately. Rugby is played in 322 districts. 40% of India's districts play rugby. Nobody knows. Each district is about 2 million people. 322 districts is quite easily 600 million people."
Bose highlighted that rugby in India is mainly played by the poorest of the poor, emphasising this as a reality rather than a boast.
"If you go to 322 districts of India and you shout rugby, someone's hand will come up. So, who is playing? The poorest of the poor. This is not a boast. This is a reality. This game is played by the poorest of the poor. We don't do a caste census or anything like that. But if you asked, I would reckon it's the absolute bottom line layer of the pyramid," he added.
He felt that rugby in India has expanded beyond its rural roots, with national players emerging from very poor areas. "In India, it is now a grassroots rural hinterland and even an urban area. Some of our national players have come from, I don't want to use the word slums, but very poor areas outside Jaipur," Bose said. While speaking on the best-performing states of India, in Rugby, he said, "Maharashtra, Odisha, Bihar, Haryana, Bengal, these are the best-performing states, but penetration, Kerala, Rajasthan. (ANI)
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