Hockey India league to return after eight years in December: Report

Hockey India League (HIL) will reportedly make a comeback after eight years and is pencilled in for a December start. As per a report, Hockey India have been given the all-clear to re-launch the league featuring both men and women from 28 December to 1 February. The league will be played in a home-and-away format.

“We have been given a clear window by the international hockey federation (FIH). We have been in touch with many national federations like Australia and Netherlands, all of whom have agreed that their best players will be available,” HI secretary general Bhola Nath Singh is quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times on the sidelines of the Hockey India awards.

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HIL, similar to other franchise-based competitions in the country, was played between 2013 and 2017 before folding. The upcoming HIL will reportedly have eight men's teams and six women's teams. Each team will have separate owners. The player auction will take place after the Paris Olympics in July-August.

The league, then featuring only men's teams, was halted in 2017 due to financial issues.

“The HIL was a big success for the game and we are now in the process of reviving the league early next year,” a Hockey India official had said last year.

“We wanted the league to start as soon as possible but there is no window in FIH till February next year. But it gives us ample time to put all the things in place,” he added.

In April 2023, Hockey India had announced Big Bang Media Ventures Pvt. Ltd. as its exclusive commercial and marketing partner agency. The entity was put in charge of bringing in sponsors, including the main sponsor, besides scouting for possible franchise owners. In July 2023, the financial model proposed by the agency was approved by the Hockey India board.