NEW DELHI: The new-look Hockey India League (HIL) will return after a seven-year break in December this year, it was announced here on Friday by Hockey India. The men's HIL 2024-25 edition will feature eight teams, along with the women's HIL that will make its debut with six teams. Both the men and women leagues will run simultaneously between December 28 and February 1.
The men's league will begin on December 28 and conclude with the final on February 1, while the women's competition will be held in Ranchi, ending on January 26. The entire men's tournament will be played in Rourkela and the women's edition in Ranchi.
"A clear 35-40 day window will enable maximum participation from foreign players in HIL, thus making it one of the most competitive leagues in the world and also signifies the importance of HIL" said Hockey India president and former player Dilip Tirkey at the announcement event in Delhi.
HI secretary Bhola Nath Singh clarified that the global body (FIH) has opened the December-February window for the HIL to be played for the next 10 years.
"I thank the FIH for giving us a window for the next 10 years, from December 28 to February 5 each year," he said.
The men's teams will have franchises from the cities of Chennai, Lucknow, Punjab & Haryana, Kolkata, Delhi, Odisha, Hyderabad and Ranchi. The women's franchises have been allocated to Punjab & Haryana, Kolkata, Delhi, and Odisha so far, with two more cities yet to be finalised.
Of the franchises, JSW Sports (Punjab and Haryana), Shrachi Sports (Kolkata), SG Sports and Entertainment (Delhi), and Navoyam Sports Ventures Private Limited (Ranchi and Odisha) have taken the rights for both the men and women teams.
Mahesh Bhupathi, co-owner of Delhi men and women franchises, said, "We hope to live up to the expectations, work hard and hopefully build a successful franchise. The women's part of it is very important, women sports is on the rise in India."
After all the teams are finalised, the player's auction will be held from October 13 to 15 in Delhi. Three slabs of base price have been set for both men's and women's players - Rs. 2 lakh, Rs. 5 lakh and Rs. 10 lakh. The players who put their name in the auction pool, also mentioned their base price during the registration process.
The purses with each franchise for the auction have been fixed at Rs 4 crore for men and Rs 2 crore for the women.
HIL first ran between 2013 and 2017 before being dropped from the calendar due to various reasons.
HIL Men's Teams & Owners:
Chennai (franchise owners: Charles Group)
Lucknow (Yadu Sports)
Punjab & Haryana (JSW Sports)
Kolkata (Shrachi Sports)
Delhi (SG Sports and Entertainment)
Odisha (Vedanta Limited)
Hyderabad (Resolute Sports)
Ranchi (Navoyam Sports Ventures Private Limited)
HIL Women's Teams & Owners (confirmed so far):
Punjab & Haryana (JSW Sports)
Kolkata (Shrachi Sports)
Delhi (SG Sports and Entertainment)
Odisha (Navoyam Sports Ventures Private Limited)
