Rugby
Indian men finish runners-up in inaugural CASA Rugby 7s
The inexperienced Indian women's team finished 4th, losing to Uzbekistan in the 3rd-place play-off.
Indian men's rugby team finished as runner-up to the CASA Rugby 7s 2026. (Photo Credits: Rugby India)
The Indian men's rugby sevens team clinched a silver medal at the 2026 CASA Rugby Sevens tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on Sunday.
India faced a heavy 10-31 defeat to the top-seeded Sri Lankan team in the final of the inaugural edition of the competition.
This event is a newly introduced regional annual championship involving countries from Central and South Asia, helping the teams to grow their international calendar.
Indian men had a good start to the tournament, winning all three matches on the first day against hosts Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and then Mongolia.
They continued the momentum and defeated Pakistan on the second day and booked a spot in the final with their fourth consecutive win.
In the final group game, they faced their first defeat, losing 12-33 to the top-seeded Sri Lankan team and finished second in the pool stage.
India women finish fourth
Meanwhile, the Indian women's team has finished fourth in the tournament, falling to a close 14-20 defeat to the hosts Uzbekistan in the bronze medal match.
India had sent a less experienced team to the tournament to give some exposure and test their bench strength ahead of the coming Asian Sevens Series.
The Indian squad had a poor start to the tournament, losing to hosts Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in the first two matches.
But then bounced back strongly to win the next three games against Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and the unbeaten Sri Lankan to secure a top-4 finish.