The Hockey India League (HIL) will be making a comeback after a wait of 7 years. The HIL 2024-25 edition will have eight men’s teams and six women’s teams. Both the men’s and women’s leagues will run simultaneously. Men’s matches will be played in Rourkela and the women’s in Ranchi. It has been done to avoid a clash with the international calendar.
Indian Hockey in recent years has taken a rise. The Men’s team has won the bronze medal in the two successive years of the Olympics. They recently won the Asian Championship beating China. It has been the best year of Hockey for the nation. The forthcoming tournament will see the rise of many new young Indian players who will later on go and feature for the nation at the biggest stages. The standard has been set very high by PR Sreejesh, Amit Rohidas, Harmanpreet Singh, and many other players.
The Hockey India League will start from will be held from December 28 to February 5. The player auction is scheduled for October 13 14 and 15 in New Delhi. The eight teams will be from Chennai, Lucknow, Punjab, Kolkata, Delhi, Odisha, Hyderabad, and Ranchi for the men. For the women, the six teams are from Punjab, Kolkata, Delhi and Odisha. Two women’s teams are yet to be announced.
Hockey India League will make a new PR Sreejesh
Does HIL’s comeback mark the recent success of the Indian Hockey Men’s Team? Somewhat yes the Indian Men’s Team has performed sensationally in recent years. This is the very reason the Hockey management wants to invest in the future stars of India. Dilip Tirkey said players from around 15 nations could be in contention to play in the two leagues over a dedicated window for the tournament.
He also stated that a window between the last week of December and the first week of February has been set aside for the HIL for at least the next five years in consultation with the international organisation FIH. The chatter about the new teams and owners has been relentless.
