India boosts cycling ambitions with new competition

Indian cycling is on a strong upward trajectory. Since this year, the country has been hosting the Bajaj Pune Grand Tour, a UCI 2.2 stage race. But that’s not all. They aim to build on this success by launching later this year the "world’s first franchise-based cycling league," according to cycling site Escape Collective.

The Indian Cycling League (ICL), which is expected to operate outside the jurisdiction of the international cycling union UCI, will kick off in November with eight teams representing eight different Indian states. Each team will consist of ten riders, with two international spots and two places reserved for juniors. The remaining six spots will be filled by Indian elite riders.

Three disciplines
The competition will consist of three phases, with teams battling in a criterium, a team time trial, and a standard road race across various parts of the country, leading up to a grand finale whose details have yet to be announced.

The first round will take place in Ahmedabad, Gujarat in the second week of November 2026. Financial backing for the ICL comes from the Indian government. Locations for the remaining rounds have not yet been disclosed.

The concept that the Indian Cycling League employs is not unfamiliar in India. For example, the India Hockey League annually attracts many top hockey players to the country for a special competition.