Kenya Lionesses stars Sheila Chajira and Grace Adhiambo will feature in the inaugural Indian Rugby Premier League Women's category next month

Kenya Lionesses Grace Adhiambo in action at a past Sevens tournament/ FILE

Kenya Lionesses stars Sheila Chajira and Grace Adhiambo are set to feature in the inaugural women’s category of the Indian Rugby Premier League next month.

Chajira will turn out for the Chennai Bulls, while Adhiambo, who is based in France,  has been drafted by the Mumbai Dreamers.

The duo joins fellow Kenyan Sevens internationals Kevin Wekesa, Patrick Odongo, and Nygel Amaitsa in the 10-day competition. Chajira welcomed the opportunity to compete on the global stage, saying the tournament will provide a platform to sharpen her skills against some of the world’s best players.

“I’m delighted to play in the tournament and test myself against the best players in the world and improve my skill set. I’m looking forward to bringing some of the skills from that tournament to my club, Queens, as well as Kenya Lionesses,” said Chajira. Adhiambo expressed hope that more Kenyan women players will secure opportunities in elite international competitions in the future.

“I believe the more our girls get exposure to high-profile tournaments, the better the players get, and my dream is to see more of our club players and national team players getting opportunities,” she said.

The inclusion of women’s teams in the competition has been hailed as a major milestone. “It has always been our dream for Rugby India to have an RPL women’s edition.

This year, that dream comes to life. Women’s sevens rugby across the world is just as exciting as men’s sevens rugby, and our Indian women are superb,” said Bose.

Four franchises — Chennai Bulls, Delhi Redz, Mumbai Dreamers, and Kolkata Banga Tigers — will field women’s teams in the historic debut season. Before departing for India, Chajira is expected to feature for the Kenya Lionesses at the Africa Women’s 15s Tournament at RFUEA Ground, where Kenya will battle defending champions South Africa women’s national rugby union team, alongside Uganda women’s national rugby union team and Madagascar women’s national rugby union team.