IPL-style Rugby Premier League aims for global impact as Rahul Bose targets India's 2032 Olympic qualification

At the peak of his Bollywood career, Rahul Bose balanced two vastly different worlds: the glitz of cinema and the grit of rugby. While starring in over 50 films and making appearances at international film festivals, he was also deeply committed to his role as a rugby player for the Indian national team. Today, he has transitioned from playing on the field to shaping the sport’s future as the President of Rugby India.

Bose was recently in Hong Kong finalizing details for a new Rugby Premier League, set to launch on Friday. This ambitious project, modeled on cricket’s Indian Premier League, aims to elevate rugby’s status in India by bringing in international talent and expanding grassroots participation.

From the Silver Screen to the Rugby Field

In an interview with DailyMail, Bose said, “People ask which part of your brain you use for both rugby and film," reflecting on his time as a winger for the Indian national team while attending the Hong Kong Sevens tournament.

“There’s nothing in common. Nothing. On a film set, it is all about you. You raise your hand one way and someone brings you hot water. You raise your hand another way and someone brings you cold water. If you look one way, someone brings you a chair. When you walk across the white line of the rugby pitch, you lose your name. For two weeks, I would lose my name. 'India No 14, come here, don’t do that again.' Your team-mates don’t give a toss about your background and I love that," Bose addd.

Juggling Rugby and Cinema

Bose represented India between 1998 and 2009, balancing his sports career with his commitments to arthouse cinema, earning recognition from TIME magazine as “the superstar of Indian arthouse cinema.”

“I would look at the rugby calendar and see when the international tournaments are being played,” he told DailyMail. “If it’s in March, then February is the camp and April I’m in hospital. I would block out those months from my calendar and schedule my movies around it."

“I had to postpone two films because I broke my nose. I broke my nose four times. They told me: 'Your contract says you can’t play rugby' so I told them I fell down the stairs… then they saw the newspaper! For years, I would be getting ready for a match, two hours before a game, everyone beating their chest, and I would be there with moisturiser, taking off my make-up. My team-mates would be there taping up saying: 'What the fuck are you doing?' It was funny. Compared to my greatest moment in cinema – the film festivals, the awards – there is no contest against crossing that white line for your country," Bose added.

Transforming Indian Rugby with Rugby Premier League

Now, Bose is taking his passion for rugby beyond his playing days. As the President of Rugby India, he has been working to launch the Rugby Premier League, set to kick off this Friday. During the Hong Kong Sevens tournament, he met with World Rugby officials to finalize the details of a summer series inspired by cricket's Indian Premier League. The tournament aims to attract international Sevens specialists while developing local talent and fostering steady growth over the next decade.

“Is there a lot of potential in the Indian sports market for rugby? Massive,” said Bose. “We have a population of 1.5 billion and rugby is played in 322 out of 760 districts. If we capture a fraction of that, one percent, that’s 15 million."

Bringing Rugby to the Masses

Bose further said, “When I used to play, rugby in India was an upper-class sport played by two schools and 12 clubs. I played because the girls in our school loved blood. There was some wounded-hero psychology thing happening. Now our sport is played by the poorest of the poor. Today there are more than 1,200 clubs. Urban India stopped playing rugby because of table tennis, golf and chess. We had guys like Leander Paes who were winning and people want to see winners."

“Our federation said, 'Let's get out of the cities and play rugby in the hinterland.' A tribal school in Odisha started playing rugby. The largest tribal school in the world, where 30,000 kids are clothed, live and eat. A non-profit organisation went into the school and threw a rugby ball to the kids. Six months later, at a competition in London, our kids won the tournament. A film has been made about it in India called Jungle Cry," the actor added.

The Road to Olympic Qualification

India’s rugby teams have made strides, with the men ranked 15th and the women 10th in Asia. Bose’s long-term vision is to break into the continent’s top four and secure an Olympic qualification by 2032.

“If India wins, people will be talking about rugby. If the sport can help the population, people will be talking about rugby. If we can get you £500 a year to play rugby, if we can get you into a good school to play rugby, if we can get you a job as a postman through playing rugby, then people will start playing because it can better their lives," he told DailyMail.

“Our women’s rugby team are 10th in Asia and our men’s team are 15th. If we make the top four in Asia then we qualify for the Olympics. We’re working towards achieving that by 2032," Bose added.

The upcoming Indian Sevens league is set to accelerate this growth, bringing top-tier players to India and developing homegrown talent. With a legacy that spans both entertainment and sports, Bose is now scripting a new chapter for rugby in India—one that could rival the best cinematic stories of his career.