HIL 2025-26: Women’s HIL To Kick Off With Hope Against All Odds
The Women’s Hockey India League, HIL-W, begins on January 12, 2025 at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Astro Turf Stadium in Ranchi. It is going to be a much-awaited and long-cherished day for the league as it is going to conquer gigantic hurdles along the way towards reaching the starting line for women’s hockey in India. They have also faced fewer teams, lesser funds and an overseas pool of participants who have gradually gone down in figures. However, Hockey India stands strong in league commitment and probable structural change in the form of women’s hockey within the country. HIL Becomes The First-Ever Woman-Only Hockey League It is for the first time that an all-women’s league has been added to the fold of the Hockey India League, and it is overdue. The Indian women’s team, who had finished as high as fourth in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, were disappointed at not being considered for the Paris 2024 Olympic roster. This was the troubled phase of their lives, however it was more or less a warning that something definitely needed to happen, in other words, give a platform so that women talent could be nourished, and thus, the answer lies in the HIL-W for the competitive place of women on the pitch; at the same time, there will also be strengthening for future Indian hockey with this tournament parallel alongside the men’s league at Rourkela. Limited Teams and Tough Road For New Franchises At HIL Some detours, like the delay for the new franchises, have made the journey of HIL-W smoother. The Hyderabad Toofans and a franchise from the BC Jindal Group in Mumbai will enter the fray only in the 2025-26 season. Although the fewer number of franchises shall help in fostering a more competitive market in the immediate future, problems are created among the teams with such a limitation. Four-team format featuring the Delhi SG Pipers (DSGP), JSW Soorma Hockey Club (JSHC), Shrachi Rahr Bengal Tigers (SRBT) and the Warriors will follow in the round-robin. All four will play each other twice and the top two teams clash in the summit clash on 26th of January. HIL Star Pull-Outs Weighed Against Foreign Player Exits While withdrawals ahead of the competition had indeed occurred for HIL-W with foreign players’ participation being a major attraction, several notable Dutch Olympians, namely Xan Gerdien de Waard and Eva Drummond, as well as Great Britain’s Anna Toman and Giselle Anne Ansley, have withdrawn due to financial problems and injuries to other personal commitments. But Odisha’s team is one of the more potent ones with gold medalist from Paris 2024 Yibbi Jansen in its ranks. Odisha, under coach Janneke Schopman, who understands Indian hockey deep, would definitely be a team to watch. HIL Auction And Broadcast Challenges Settled The biggest challenge that HIL had was that all the worthy players were available in the auction. Several of the Indian and junior women’s team’s big names did not sell at the auctions, and Hockey India lowered the base prices for the women to Rs 2 lakh. It did this on appeal from the players so they would get a fair chance at auction. Although this was a major weakness of not having a private broadcast partner before the auction, Sony Sports Network has acquired the multilingual telecast rights of the league. To attract more spectators at the game and make hockey a more popular game, Hockey India will also provide free entry to all spectators at the 5,000-seater arena in Ranchi. As the Women’s Hockey India League (HIL) finally gets underway, it would seem to hold as much in danger as promise. The next few weeks would indicate whether it delivers on all promises and pulls the crowds of cricket fans. The league provides the perfect launch pad for future Indian women hockey stars. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye
Hockey India League (HIL) 2024-25 Ups Prize Money
The Hockey India League (HIL) 2024-25 will offer over 10 crores in prize money, making it the most lucrative season in its history. The Hockey India League has also introduced new prizes for individual performers. HIL Prize Money Sees Big Jump In a move that promises great times for Indian hockey, Hockey India has boldly decided to almost double the prize money of the ongoing Hockey India League (HIL). The prize pool now would ensure better returns for teams as well as for players. HIL Prize Money The Hockey India League is an eight team men’s competition. Prize money includes a handsome ₹3 crore to the winner, an increase from ₹2.5 crore received in the 2017 edition. The runner-up will get ₹2 crore and the third-placed team ₹1 crore. Prize money for the Hockey India League has escalated manifolds from last time when third-place money was at ₹75 lakh. HIL Women’s Prize Money It is also the first edition of women’s Hockey India League that will start from Sunday, January 12, 2025 with four teams, which will offer some impressive rewards. The HIL Women’s Champion will be awarded ₹1.5 crore and the second and third-placed teams ₹1.5 crore and ₹50 lakh, respectively. Individual Awards At The HIL Hero MotoCorp that sponsored the leagues has even provided personal trophies to both male and female players in a hope to bring about gender parity. Both, the Player Of The Match in each of the matches to be played shall receive ₹50,000; however, for the Player Of The Tournament of two leagues, is ₹20 lakhs. Apart from them, the best goal-keeper, young player and high scorer of this men’s season will be awarded for ₹10 Lakhs, but women’s trophy will be awarded for ₹5 Lakhs only. Total Prize Money Hops For HIL 2024-25 The prize pool of Hockey India League (HIL) reportedly increased to ₹10 crore from ₹6 crore in the last edition of 2017. Hockey India seems to increase the league value and empower the player more without any barrier of gender. It can also be implied that the league is growing to become even more relevant in Indian sports with the rise in the prize money. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye
Hockey India League To Resume After Seven Years
The Hockey India League will return for the first time since 2017 on 28 December, 2024. The eighth season will see eight men’s teams and six women’s teams. There will be two venues at which matches will be played-Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh astroturf hockey stadium, Ranchi, Jharkhand and Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Rourkela, Odisha. The curtain raiser for the opening has been scheduled for 28 December at Rourkela. Which teams are part of the HIL? The following teams are set to feature in the upcoming season of HIL. Men’s League: The eight teams that will compete in the male league will be owned by Charles Group for Chennai, Yadu Sports for Lucknow, SG Sports and Entertainment for Delhi, Shrachi Group for Kolkata, Vedanta for Odisha, Resolute Sports for Hyderabad, Navoyam Sports Ventures for Ranchi and JSW Sports for Punjab Women Teams: Delhi, Kolkata, and Odisha- will be owned by SG Sports, Shrachi Group, and Novayan respectively. Haryana will have JSW Sports while the remaining two owners are yet to be announced. How will players be picked for the teams? The player auction will be held for selecting the players on 13th, 14th and 15th October in New Delhi in which the players can present themselves in three categories with a base price of Rs 2 lakh, Rs 5 lakh, and Rs 10 lakh. Each franchise is entitled to prepare a 24-player roster which should have at least 16 Indian players, out of which 4 must be the junior player inclusion requirement besides 8 foreign stars. Although the details related to the names of the players playing in the league are yet to come, most of the keenly skilled males and female hockey professionals are set to feature in the event. By when is the HIL expected to stage the final? The HIL Final will be held on different dates, the women’s finals will take place on January 26, 2025 in Ranchi and the men’s final will be held on February 1, 2025 in Rourkela and it is especially welcome that the resurrection of HIL is really India’s premier domestic hockey competition. Previous editions have helped in pushing the Indian men’s hockey team to tremendous heights, including Olympic medals. Participation by women’s teams only must bolster the national women’s team, giving players more experience and confidence against better talent. Prospects for Future HIL Editions? The HIL is almost certain to be an annual event from hereon, as the Federation of International Hockey (FIH) has decided to give it a window from late January to early February for the next ten years. Details of the broadcast are yet to be announced. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye
