The Hockey India League (HIL) is a professional field hockey tournament organized by the governing body, Hockey India. It is set to make a comeback in 2024 after a gap of 7 years, when it was shut down in 2017.
The league had to be halted in 2017 due to financial issues. However, ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024, Hockey India's secretary general, Bhola Nath Singh announced that the league will be relaunched with much better hopes.
"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," he said.
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The renewed HIL is expected to see many new features including bigger player purse, stricter franchise norms and just two venues, instead of the usual home-and-away format.
Several corporates have expressed interest in the ownership of the teams. According to Indian Express sources, "the franchise owners will have to pay a fee of Rs 7 crore per year for men’s teams and Rs 3 crore annually for women’s teams. The initial contract will be for 10 years."
When and where will the Hockey India League (HIL) be played?
The HIL is set to be feature both men and women and will be played between December 28, 2024 and February 1, 2025. The auctions are scheduled to take place after the Paris Olympics, in the month of August.
"The HIL was a big success for the game, and we are now in the process of reviving the league early next 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 things in place, " a Hockey India official said
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How many teams will feature in the revamped Hockey India League (HIL)?
The highlight of the revamped league, which will be relaunched after a 7-year hiatus, is the inclusion of a Women's HIL, which will help promote women's hockey and increase the talent pool of players across the country.
The league will feature 8 Men's and 6 Women's teams. Players from the top-15 hockey nations around the world have been invited to register, to take part in the league, via an auction.
More than 1000 domestic male and female players along with approximately 500 international stars, have expressed interest so far. The number is expected to rise after the Paris Olympics. However, there will be no players from Pakistan.
Why Pakistan players will not be included in the Hockey India League (HIL)?
Hockey players from Pakistan will not be considered for the auction in August and therefore, they will not be able to participate in the league.
The exclusion of Pakistan from the league was "not intentional" as per a Hockey India official.
The rules of the HIL state that only players from the top-15 ranked countries will be considered. According to the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) latest rankings, Pakistan are currently placed 16th in the world.
"We didn’t even know that Pakistan wasn’t in the world’s top 15 when we formed the rule. Initially, we were thinking of allowing only those players whose countries were in the top 10 of the world, to make sure the quality was high. But after much deliberation, we decided to make it top-15," an official said.
Nine players from Pakistan featured in the first edition of the HIL, back in 2013. However, they were sent back midway through the tournament due to protests against them following over the killing of Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir. Since then, no Pakistani players have featured in the HIL.