Hockey India League set to make comeback after 8 years; Hockey India begins registration

Hockey India League (HIL) will reportedly make a comeback after eight years and is pencilled in for a December start. The Hockey India League 2024-2025 edition will feature Men’s and Women’s Teams and hockey players from across the nation are invited to register themselves on or before 30th June 2024.

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Hockey India has been given the all-clear to re-launch the Hockey India League featuring both men and women from 28 December to 1 February. The league will be played in a home-and-away format.

HIL was played between 2013 and 2017 before

HIL, similar to other franchise-based competitions in the country, was played between 2013 and 2017 before folding. The upcoming HIL will reportedly have eight men’s teams and six women’s teams. Each team will have separate owners. The player auction will take place after the Paris Olympics 2024 in July-August.

The league, then featuring only men’s teams, was halted in 2017 due to financial issues.

Hockey India invited players from top 15 hockey-playing nations

This is the first time in the history of the sport that an exclusive women’s Hockey India League will be hosted simultaneously.

Additionally, Hockey India has also invited players from the top 15 hockey-playing nations to register their players and support staff for the upcoming season which will be held in the window sanctioned by FIH; the last week of December 2024 to the first week of February 2025.

'This step signifies that we are close to restarting the HIL'

Commenting on the occasion Hockey India President Dr. Dilip Tirkey said, “We are elated to open the player registration for the Hockey India League 2024-2025 edition. This step signifies that we are close to restarting the HIL, a league that was loved by hockey players and fans across the world. We are confident that budding Indian hockey players will snatch at the opportunity to play with and against some of the best players in the world.”

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'The league will help improve the standard of young players'

Hockey India Secretary General Shri Bhola Nath Singh also weighed in saying, “The HIL played a pivotal role in the resurgence of the Indian Hockey Teams and it is a matter of great joy and pride that we are on the verge of restarting it. The league will help improve the standard of young players and propagate a culture of hockey across the nation. We look forward to receiving heaps of applications from India and abroad.”