The timing couldn’t be more apt. The Indian men’s hockey team clinched a successive bronze at the Olympics for the first time in 52 years and backed it up with a dominant performance to defend their Asian Champions Trophy crown last month.
Hockey stars have now become household names. While skipper Harmanpreet Singh was seen with former winger Shaun Wright-Phillips in a Manchester City promotional, goalkeeper PR Sreejesh made an appearance on Kaun Banega Crorepati to share screen time with actor Amitabh Bachchan.
Riding on this momentum, Hockey India (HI) announced on Friday the relaunch of the Hockey India League (HIL), which became defunct after five editions of the franchise-based tournament from 2013 to 2017. The new HIL will feature eight teams, with all matches held at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela from December 28 to February 1. “The international hockey federation (FIH) has sanctioned this window for the next 10 years. We are grateful to them for giving us this opportunity to hold the event, which will showcase the world’s best players,” said HI Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh.
Several well-known names in the sports world have come forward to own franchises, and new corporate firms are also joining the hockey bandwagon. The Chennai franchise will be owned by the Charles Group, Lucknow by Yadu Sports, Punjab by JSW Sports, West Bengal by Shrachi Sports, Delhi by SG Sports and Entertainment, Odisha by Vedanta Limited, Hyderabad by Resolute Sports, and Ranchi by Navoyam Sports Ventures Private Limited.
“We are excited to be part of the new wave of hockey fever in the country and are confident that HIL will grow rapidly in the first few seasons,” said tennis great Mahesh Bhupathi, CEO of SG Sports and Entertainment.
Women’s League
For the first time, a women’s league comprising six teams will run concurrently. It includes four corporate companies that have bought men’s franchises: Haryana by JSW Sports, West Bengal by Shrachi Sports, Delhi by SG Sports and Entertainment, and Odisha by Navoyam Sports Ventures Private Limited. Significantly, the two other franchises will be announced shortly after the closure of legal proceedings.
The women’s competition will be held at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi, with the final on January 26. “We’ve deliberately kept both leagues in these two centres to avoid overloading the franchises and the overall organization,” said HI President Dilip Tirkey. “We intend to diversify and expand to other venues in the future, but for now, we are taking it slow.”
The players’ auction will be held from October 13 to 15 in the national capital, featuring three base price slabs — ₹2 lakh, ₹5 lakh, and ₹10 lakh. For men, each team will have a total prize purse of ₹4 crore, while for women, it will be ₹2 crore. The squads will consist of 24 players, including 16 Indians, with a mandatory inclusion of four juniors and eight foreigners. Each match will have a winner, with shootouts determining the outcome of tied games. In the playing eleven, every team must field a minimum of two foreign players, with an upper limit of five, ensuring that at least six Indians are on the pitch from each team. It has also been reliably reported that while the men’s franchises were sold for ₹7 crore, the women’s teams went for ₹3 crore.
Interestingly, Vedanta has decided to retain the name of the earlier HIL team, Kalinga Lancers.
New role for Sreejesh
Double Olympic medallist Sreejesh has opted to be part of the HIL not as a player but as the Director of Hockey for the Delhi franchise, named SG Pipers. The former India goalkeeper retired after helping India win bronze at the Paris Olympics.
“I am elated and excited to take over SG Pipers as Director of Hockey. Having hung up my boots as a professional athlete, I wish to groom the next generation of hockey players in the country and give back to the sport that has given me so much,” said Sreejesh. Interestingly, former India chief coach Graham Reid, who guided India to a medal at the Olympics after a gap of 41 years in 2021, will serve as the head coach of the Delhi men’s team, while the women’s side will be coached by Dave Smolenaars.