After a gap of seven years, Hockey India League (HIL) is set to make a comeback in a revamped avatar which will see the participation of both men’s and women’s teams. Promoters of leading companies such as JSW, Vedanta and JK Cement have picked up franchises. The league will have eight men’s teams and six women’s teams. This will mark the first time a standalone women’s league will run concurrently with the men’s competition.

Owners of Men’s teams will include Charles Group (Chennai), Yadu Group led by promoters of JK Cement (Lucknow), JSW Sports (Punjab), Shrachi Sports (West Bengal), SG Sports and Entertainment (Delhi), Vedanta Ltd (Odisha), Resolute Sports (Hyderabad) and Navoyam Sports Ventures Pvt Ltd (Ranchi). 

Owners of women teams include JSW Sports (Haryana), Shrachi Sports (West Bengal), SG Sports and Entertainment (Delhi) and Navoyam Sports Ventures Pvt Ltd (Odisha). The franchise fees for men’s team will be ₹7 crore per year and franchise fees for women’s teams will be ₹3 crore per year.

Players auctions

Players auctions will be held from October 13-15 in New Delhi. The HIL 2024-25, which will commence on December 28, will see its matches played across two venues in Ranchi, Jharkhand and Rourkela, Odisha.

Dilip Tirkey, President, Hockey India told businessline, “In the past few years, both the men’s and women’s hockey teams have performed very well at international sporting events. So, we felt it was the right team to revive the league. We will follow a model similar to IPL and focus on developing a sustainable league. We believe the league will revitalise the entire hockey economics ecosystem in the country.” He added that the decision to hold the league in just two venues has been as part of the strategy to focus on profitability.

Responding to a query on sponsorships, he said, “Indian hockey is the poor cousin of cricket. I think it’s high time that Indian corporates and those who really love the sport come forward to support the league. We are in discussions with various players for sponsorships including for the title sponsorship.” He added that the league and the sports has been attracting good eyeballs in the past few years and said that the league will soon be finalising its broadcast partner.

In a statement, Parth Jindal, Founder, JSW Sports said, “The sport is undergoing a revival in the country, and we believe we have what it takes to further that charge. The states of Punjab and Haryana have been a factory when it comes to producing champion athletes, and specifically talented hockey players, and through our teams, we want to reiterate the contribution of these states to the hockey ecosystem in our country. The role of our teams will extend beyond the league, and we cannot wait for this journey to begin.” 

Mahesh Bhupathi, CEO, SG Sports and Entertainment added, “We are excited to be part of the new wave of Hockey fever in the country and are confident that Hockey India League (HIL) will grow rapidly in the first few seasons.”

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