In collaboration with Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and GMR Sports, Capgemini will help shape the Rugby Premier League, ushering in a new era for professional rugby in India.
Mumbai, June 11, 2025 : Capgemini today
announced the extension of its association with IRFU by becoming the
transformation partner for the first ever league-based, owned rugby franchise.
The GMR Rugby Premier League (RPL) will be played in a Rugby 7s format. As the
official transformation partner, Capgemini will help to enhance player
performance, uplift players’ social and sports
profiles, and increase grassroots participation in rugby.
Rugby has seen a steady growth in participation and awareness in India,
and it now takes a bold leap with the introduction of GMR RPL, making it among
the top five sports for India's youth. Capgemini’s association with rugby
spans over 30 years globally, and this new collaboration with GMR RPL is
an extension of its previous India engagement, as the associate sponsor for the
Rugby 7s Women & Girls and the Rugby 7s Men & Boys teams. Further
strengthening its India rugby footprint, Capgemini has also renewed its three-year
partnership with IRFU to support both Rugby 15s and 7s. Together,
these initiatives reflect Capgemini’s enduring dedication to advancing rugby at
both grassroots and elite levels—locally and internationally.
Commenting on the extended partnership, Ashwin Yardi, CEO of
Capgemini in India, said, “Capgemini’s association with rugby is deeply
rooted in our driving principles - team spirit, bold thinking, leadership,
innovation, and a genuine sense of enjoyment. Sports is a key pillar of our
global engagement and our partnership with IRFU and GMR sports for RPL has
further strengthened our commitment to inclusion on and off the field. We aim
to make rugby in India more inclusive and accessible, supporting player
development from grassroots to the professional level.”
Rahul Bose, President, IRFU, said, “We are proud to mark this
historic step for Indian rugby with a partner that shares our long-term vision.
Capgemini’s commitment to inclusivity, innovation, and performance will enable
us to grow the game sustainably - from grassroots engagement to elite
competition - while strengthening the values at the heart of the
sport. With the start of the GMR RPL, their expertise and values-driven
approach will be instrumental in helping us shape a modern, inclusive, and competitive
future for the sport.”
Satyam Trivedi, CEO, GMR Sports, added, “The GMR RPL
represents a crucial milestone in our efforts to enhance the status of rugby in
India. With Capgemini joining, the sport takes a major leap forward in
reimagining how it can be positioned, watched, and experienced in India. This
alliance symbolizes the perfect blend of tradition and innovation to grow
the sport, enhance performance, and bring fans closer to the action than ever
before.”
Inspired by its late founder, a passionate rugby enthusiast and
player, rugby holds a special place in the history of the
Group. Capgemini has sponsored World Rugby and some of its major
men’s (Rugby World Cup 2007 and 2023) and women’s international competitions
(Rugby World Cup 2021), as well as the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
Capgemini is also a Principal Partner of Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025.
The Group plays a pivotal role in advancing inclusivity in the sport as
a Global Partner of the Women in Rugby initiative and supporting the Women in
Rugby Leadership Programme, which aims to empower women through leadership and
expand the reach of the women's game globally.
The inaugural season of the GMR RPL will be held in India in June 2025.
In the first tournament of its kind in the country, GMR RPL will feature some
of the world's finest rugby stars from every major sevens playing nation,
alongside India's talent. GMR RPL will broadcast live on JioHotstar and STAR
SPORTS in India and can be viewed online on RugbyPass TV as well.
About Capgemini
Capgemini is a global
business and technology transformation partner, helping
organizations to accelerate their dual transition to a digital and sustainable
world, while creating tangible impact for enterprises and society. It is a responsible and diverse
group of 340,000 team members in more than 50 countries. With its strong over
55-year heritage, Capgemini is trusted by its clients to unlock the value of
technology to address the entire breadth of their business needs. It delivers
end-to-end services and solutions leveraging strengths from
strategy and design to engineering, all fueled by its market leading
capabilities in AI, generative AI, cloud and data, combined with its deep
industry expertise and partner ecosystem. The Group reported 2024 global revenues
of €22.1 billion.
Capgemini in India comprises nearly 175,000 team members working across
13 locations: Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Coimbatore, Gandhinagar,
Gurugram, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Noida, Pune, Salem, and Tiruchirappalli.
Get The Future You Want | Learn more about Capgemini in India at www.capgemini.com/in-en.