Mahak Chauhan Emerges as India’s Rugby Breakthrough Star After Historic CASA 7s Campaign
Twenty-year-old Mahak Chauhan delivered one of the most dominant individual performances seen from an Indian rugby player in recent years during the inaugural CASA 7s tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Indian women’s rugby may have found its next breakout star. The youngster finished as the tournament’s leading try-scorer with nine tries and was named the Women’s Player of the Tournament after an extraordinary campaign where she managed to score against every nation India faced. In a competition designed to strengthen rugby across Central and South Asia, Mahak’s performances stood out not just statistically, but tactically and psychologically. Her speed, finishing ability, and composure under pressure transformed India into one of the tournament’s most dangerous attacking teams.
The inaugural Central Asia and South Asia (CASA) Rugby 7s Championship was officially sanctioned by Asia Rugby and World Rugby and brought together several emerging rugby nations from across the region. Hosted in Tashkent on May 16 and 17, the tournament featured six men’s and six women’s teams competing in a round-robin format followed by classification playoffs. For India’s women’s side, the event became a story of rapid tactical improvement.
After suffering difficult opening defeats to hosts Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the Indian team bounced back strongly with dominant wins over Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia before producing the biggest upset of the tournament by defeating eventual champions Sri Lanka.
At the centre of that resurgence was Mahak Chauhan. Mahak’s scoring consistency across the tournament was extraordinary.
She registered tries against Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Sri Lanka & Uzbekistan in the bronze-medal playoff. That meant she crossed the try-line against every single nation India faced during the competition an exceptionally rare achievement in rugby sevens.
Her nine tries accounted for roughly 36 percent of India’s total scoring output during the tournament, underlining just how central she was to the side’s attacking structure. What made the performances even more impressive was the variety in her scoring. Against Uzbekistan in the opening match, Mahak scored India’s only try through a sharp outside line break. Against Kazakhstan, she intercepted a pass deep in her own half before outrunning the entire defence.
During India’s massive 72-0 win over Kyrgyzstan and 33-0 victory against Mongolia, she repeatedly exploited space out wide and finished off quick passing sequences clinically. But her defining moment came against Sri Lanka.
The Match-Winning Try Against Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka entered the contest unbeaten and eventually went on to win the tournament gold medal. India, however, produced one of the biggest shocks of the championship with a dramatic 22-19 victory handing Sri Lanka their only defeat of the tournament. Mahak scored the decisive try in the closing stages of the match.
With the scores level late in the contest, she showed remarkable composure to finish the move and seal one of Indian women’s rugby’s most memorable recent victories. For a player only beginning her senior international career, the ability to deliver under that level of pressure immediately attracted attention across Asian rugby circles. Mahak Chauhan’s sporting journey is as remarkable as her CASA 7s performances. Born in Bhadrasu village in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, she initially focused entirely on athletics. Since childhood, she competed in sprinting events and developed a strong track-and-field background.
Her entry into rugby happened almost accidentally. In 2023, Mahak travelled to Roorkee believing she was attending athletics trials. Instead, the trials were being conducted by the Uttarakhand Rugby Association. Her raw sprinting speed immediately caught the attention of coach Ayush Saini, who recognized her potential for rugby sevens.
Despite having no previous rugby experience, she quickly adapted to the sport. One of the most interesting aspects of Mahak’s development was her unconventional training environment. With limited access to professional rugby infrastructure in Uttarakhand, much of her conditioning work took place on riverbed sand in Roorkee.
Her acceleration over short distances makes her extremely difficult to stop in open-field situations one of the biggest reasons she became so effective at CASA 7s.
Mahak’s emergence also highlights broader positive signs for Indian women’s rugby. Historically, Indian rugby talent has largely emerged from states like Odisha, Bihar, and Haryana. Mahak’s rise from Uttarakhand reflects how the sport’s scouting and development networks are slowly expanding into newer regions. The upcoming HSBC Rugby Premier League and increasing international exposure could further accelerate this growth.
For India, tournaments like CASA 7s are not merely developmental events anymore. They are becoming platforms where genuine international-level talent begins to emerge.
And after scoring nine tries, defeating Sri Lanka, and winning Player of the Tournament, Mahak Chauhan has now firmly established herself as one of the brightest young faces in Indian rugby.
Comments (0)
to post comments, replies, and votes.
Loading comments…
