Field Hockey was introduced at the Olympic Games as a men's competition at the 1908 Games in London. Later, it was removed from the Summer Olympic Games at the 1924 Paris Games because of the lack of sporting infrastructure. But after FIH's foundation in Paris, Men's field hockey became a permanent sport in the Olympics.

Spain has appeared in most Olympic men's competitions without winning the men's gold medal. They have won silver three times (1980, 1996, and 2008) and bronze once in 1960. Australia had competed in 12 Olympics without winning gold before finally winning it in 2004.

India are the most successful team at the Olympics, winning 13 medals (8 Gold, 1 silver, and 4 bronze). The Indian Men's Hockey Team won the gold medal in seven out of eight Olympics from 1928 to 1964. They lost dominance after the 1980s as their last gold came in 1980. India won the bronze medal in the Summer Olympics of 2024 in Paris. So, we must revisit India's success in this exciting sport.

Read Also: Indian Debutants to watch out for in Paris Olympics 2024

Every Gold Medal India has won at the Olympics

India's Hockey Team is the most successful ever in the Olympics, having won a total of eight gold medals – in 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, and 1980. Six of those Gold Medals came in consecutive editions (from 1928-1956) and they added two more at Tokyo in 1964 and Moscow in 1980.

Top Five Players Who Became Legends for India in Hockey with Their Brilliant Performances at the Big Stage like Olympics

Dhyan Chand | Olympic Gold Medalist: 1928, 1932, 1936

Dhyan Chand was the best hockey player in the history of the game. He was called the Wizard because of his skills and finishing. Dhyan Chand scored plenty of goals, including hat-tricks in two Olympic finals. He made his Olympic debut with the Indian hockey team in Amsterdam in 1928 and scored 14 goals en route winning the gold medal. He went on to win two more gold medals in consecutive Olympics at Los Angeles in 1932 and Berlin in 1936. Dhyan Chand completed a hat-trick of Olympic golds and took retirement, holding an unbeaten Olympic record to his name.

Balbir Singh Sr. | Olympic Gold Medalist: 1948, 1952

Balbir Singh Sr is widely acknowledged as one of the best centre-forwards in hockey history. He scored eight goals in two matches to win the Olympic hockey gold with India in 1948. He led the team to a second hat-trick of Olympic golds, scoring five goals in the Helsinki 1952 final, a record to date. With these incredible achievements, Balbir Singh wrote his name in golden letters in the history books.

Mohammad Shahid | Olympic Gold Medalist: 1980

Mohammad Shahid is one of the legends of the game. He made his debut for the Indian hockey junior team in 1979 and after impressing everyone with his skill, he was included in the Olympics squad for 1980. He led India to their eighth and final Olympic gold medal in Moscow in 1980. 

Dhanraj Pillay | Asian Games Gold Medalist: 1998

Dhanraj Pillay comes among the legends of Indian Hockey. He made his debut for the Indian hockey team in 1989 and became one of the best players. He couldn't win a gold medal with Indian in the Olympics but was honoured with the Arjuna Award in 1995 for his incredible performances. He also led the Indian hockey team to an Asian Games gold in 1998 after a 32-year gap. Pillay played in four Olympics, four World Cups, four Asian Games, and four Champions Trophy tournaments, the only player to do so in a 15-year-long international career.

PR Sreejesh | Olympic Bronze Medalist: 2020, 2024

PR Sreejesh's primary sport in childhood wasn't hockey but still managed to make his name big in this sport. PR Sreejesh’s leadership and superb shot-stopping skills established him as one of the top goalkeepers in the world. In his third Olympic appearance at Tokyo 2020, PR Sreejesh was at his peak and led the Indian Team to an Olympic bronze, ending a 41-year medal drought. Then again in the Paris Olympics 2024, Indian Men's Hockey Team clinched bronze and Sreejesh played a crucial role in their journey. A memorable farewell to him as he had already announced it was going to be his last tournament.

Read Also: Paris Olympics 2024: Indian athletes who qualified for the Paris 2024

The Indian Men's Hockey Team in the 2024 Paris Olympics

The Indian men’s hockey team won the bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, their second consecutive bronze medal in the Summer Olympics. India’s start was really good. India finished second in their group with 3 victories, 1 draw, and 1 loss. They managed to beat Australia in the Olympics after 52 years. In the Quarter-Finals against Great Britain, the result decided in the shootout. India progressed with a 4-1 scoreline. 

The Semi-final was a tough match against the favourites Germany. The Indian Men's Hockey side gave their best but lost 3-2 after four quarters. They played against Spain in the Bronze Medal match and clinched a 2-1 narrow victory to secure the bronze medal for the second consecutive time. The best drag flickers in the world and the skipper Harmanpreet Singh led from the front, scoring 10 times in 8 games.

Read Also: 10 athletes to watch out for at Paris Olympics 2024

India at Olympics: Every Member of the Medal-winning Hockey Teams

1928 Amsterdam Olympics | Position: Gold Medal | India 3-0 Netherlands

• Date: 17^th May-26^th May 1928
• Squad: Jaipal Singh (C), Richard Allen, Dhyan Chand, Maurice Gateley, William Goodsir-Cullen, Leslie Hammond, Feroz Khan, George Marthins, Rex Norris, Broome Penniger (VC), Michael Rocque, Frederic Seaman, Ali Shaukat, Sayed Yusuf, Kher Singh Gill and Nawab of Pataudi.

1932 Los Angeles Olympics | Position: Gold Medal | India 11-1 Japan

• Date: 4^th August-11^th August 1932
• Squad: Lal Shah Bokhari (C), Richard Allen, Muhammad Aslam, Frank Brewin, Richard Carr, Dhyan Chand, Leslie Hammond, Arthur Hind, Sayed Jaffar, Masud Minhas, Broome Penniger, Gurmit Singh Kullar, Roop Singh, William Sullivan and Carlyle Tapsell.

1936 Berlin Olympics | Position: Gold Medal | India 8-1 Germany

• Date: 4^th August-15^th August 1936
• Squad: Dhyan Chand (C), Richard Allen, Ali Dara, Lionel Emmett, Peter Fernandes, Joseph Galibardy, Earnest Goodsir-Cullen, Mohammed Hussain, Sayed Jaffar (VC), Ahmed Sher Khan, Ahsan Khan, Mirza Masood, Cyril Michie, Baboo Nimal, Joseph Phillips, Shabban Shahab-ud-Din, G.S. Garewal, Roop Singh and Carlyle Tapsell.

1948 London Olympics | Position: Gold Medal | India 4-0 Great Britain

• Date: 31^st July-13^th August 1948
• Squad: Kishan Lal (C), Leslie Claudius, Keshav Dutt, Walter D’Souza, Lawrie Fernandes, Ranganathan Francis, Gerry Glacken, Akhtar Hussain, Patrick Jansen, Amir Kumar, Leo Pinto, Jaswant Singh Rajput, Latif-ur-Rehman, Reginald Rodrigues, Balbir Singh Sr., Randhir Singh Gentle, Grahanandan Singh, K. D. Singh Babu (VC), Trilochan Singh and Maxie Vaz.

1952 Helsinki Olympics | Position: Gold Medal | India 6-1 Netherlands

• Date: 15^th July-24^th July 1952
• Squad: K. D. Singh Babu (C), Leslie Claudius, Meldric Daluz, Keshav Dutt, Chinadorai Deshmutu, Ranganathan Francis, Raghbir Lal, Govind Perumal, Muniswamy Rajgopal, Balbir Singh Sr., Randhir Singh Gentle, Udham Singh, Swarup Singh, Jaswant Singh, C.S. Dubey, C.S. Gurung, Dharam Singh and Grahanandan Singh.

1956 Melbourne Olympics | Position: Gold Medal | India 1-0 Pakistan

• Date: 23^rd November-6^thDecember 1956
• Squad: Balbir Singh Sr.(C), Leslie Claudius, Ranganathan Francis, Haripal Kaushik, Amir Kumar, Raghbir Lal, Shankar Lakshman, Govind Perumal, Amit Singh Bakshi, Raghbir Singh Bhola, Hardyal Singh Garchey, Randhir Singh Gentle, Balkishan Singh Grewal, Gurdev Singh Kullar, Udham Singh Kullar, Bakshish Singh, O.P. Malhotra and Charles Stephen.

1960 Rome Olympics | Position: Silver Medal | India 0-1 Pakistan

• Date: 26^th August-11^thSeptember 1960
• Squad: Leslie Claudius (C), Joseph Antic, Jaman Lal Sharma, Mohinder Lal, Shankar Laxman, Victor John Peter, Govind Sawant, Raghbir Singh Bhola, Udham Singh Kullar, Charanjit Singh, Jaswant Singh, Joginder Singh, Prithipal Singh, Balkishan Singh Grewal, Cinnadorai Deshmuthu, Kulwant Arora, Bandu Patil, Erman K Bastian, Shanta Ram, Hari Pal Kaushik and J. Mascarenhas
  

1964 Tokyo Olympics | Position: Gold Medal | India 1-0 Pakistan

• Date: 11^thOctober-23^rd October 1964
• Squad: Charanjit Singh (C), Shankar Laxman, R A Christy, Prithipal Singh, Dharam Singh, Gurbux Singh, Mohinder Lal, Jagjit Singh, Rajinder Singh, Joginder Singh, Hari Pal Kaushik, Harbinder Singh, Balbir Singh, Bandu Patil, Victor John Peter, Udham Singh Kullar, Darshan Singh and Syed Mushtaq Ali
  

1968 Mexico Olympics | Position: Bronze Medal | India 2-1 West Germany

• Date: 13^th October-26^th October 1968
• Squad: Prithipal Singh (C), R A Christy, Krishnamurty Perumal, Victor John Peter, Inam-Ur Rahman Munir Sait, Ajitpal Pal Singh, Balbir Singh (Services), Balbir Singh (Railways), Balbir Singh (Punjab) Gurbux Singh, Harbinder Singh, Harmik Singh, Inder Singh, Tarsem Singh, Dharam Singh and Jagjit Singh

1972 Munich Olympics | Position: Bronze Medal | India 2-1 Netherlands

• Date: 27^thAugust-10^thSeptember 1968
• Squad: Harmik Singh (C), B. P. Govinda, Charles Cornelius, Manuel Frederick, Michael Kindo, Ashok Kumar, M. P. Ganesh, Krishnamurty Perumal, Ajitpal Singh, Harbinder Singh, Harcharan Singh, Kulwant Singh, Mukhbain Singh, Virender Singh, Aslam Sher Khan, Vece Paes, V J Philips and Ajit Singh
  

1980 Moscow Olympics | Position: Gold Medal | India 4-3 Spain

• Date: 20^thJuly-29^thJuly 1968
• Squad: Vasudevan Baskaran (C), Bir Bahadur Chettri, Allan Schofield, Sylvanus Dung Dung, Rajinder Singh, Davinder Singh, Gurmail Singh, Ravinder Pal Singh, MM Somaya, Maharaj Krishan Kaushik, Charanjit Kumar, Merwyn Fernandes, Amarjit Singh Rana, Mohd. Shahid, Surinder Singh Sodhi, and Zafar Iqbal
  

2020 Tokyo Olympics | Position: Bronze Medal | India 5-4 Germany

• Date: 23^rd July-8^th August 2021
• Squad: PR Sreejesh, Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Birendra Lakra, Surender Kumar, Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh (Captain), Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit, Shamsher Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Simranjeet Singh, Mandeep Singh
  

2024 Paris Olympics | Position: Bronze Medal | India 2-1 Spain

• Date: 27^th July-8^th August 2024
• Squad: Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Abhishek, Manpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Gurjant Singh, Sanjay Dabra, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Upadhyay, P. R. Sreejesh, Sumit Walmiki, Shamsher Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Amit Rohidas, Vivek Prasad, Sukhjeet Singh

Hockey India have announced all the nominations for the 7th Hockey India Annual Awards 2024. The award ceremony will take place on 15th March in New Delhi with a record prize pool of approx INR 12 crores. 

Read Also | Yo-Yo Test: Hardik Singh’s Revelation Sparks Debate Between Fitness of Cricketers and Hockey Players

A total of 32 players have been nominated across eight categories for the award ceremony this year. Among all the awards, the Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of the Year will be under the spotlight which will honour the best male and female hockey players of India. 

During the ceremony, India’s Olympic bronze medal-winning team will be felicitated, along with the Men’s and Women’s teams that won the Asian Champions Trophy in 2024. The Junior Asia Cup-winning Men’s and Women’s teams will also be honoured during the award ceremony.

The award ceremony will also celebrate 50th anniversary of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team’s historic World Cup victory on the same date in 1975—their first and only title to date.

Read Also | The New Age Indian Hockey Stars: Who to Watch in 2025

The Nominees for the Hockey India Annual Awards 2024 are:

Hockey India Baljit Singh Award for Goalkeeper of the Year 2024 

1. Bichu Devi Kharibam

 2. Krishan Bahadur Pathak

 3. PR Sreejesh

 4. Savita 

Hockey India Pargat Singh Award for Defender of the Year 2023

1. Sanjay

2. Amit Rohidas

3. Harmanpreet Singh

4. Udita

 Hockey India Ajit Pal Singh Award for Midfielder of the Year 2024

1. Jarmanpreet Singh 

2. Hardik Singh

3. Nilakanta Sharma

 4. Sumit

Read Also | Amir Ali: A Journey From "tin briefcase" to Hockey Glory

 Hockey India Dhanraj Pillay Award for Forward of the Year 2024 

1. Lalremsiami

2. Abhishek

3. Sukhjeet Singh

4. Navneet Kaur

 Hockey India Asunta Lakra Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Women – Under 21) 

1. Beauty Dungdung

2. Deepika

3. Vaishnavi Vithal Phalke

4. Sunelita Toppo

Hockey India Jugraj Singh Award for Upcoming Player of the Year (Men – Under 21)

 1. Arshdeep Singh

 2. Amir Ali

 3. Shardanand Tiwari

 4. Araijeet Singh Hundal

Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of The Year (Women)

1. Savita Punia

 2. Salima Tete

 3. Sangita Kumari

 4. Navneet Kaur

Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of The Year (Men)

1. Abhishek

2. Hardik Singh

3. Harmanpreet Singh

 4. Sukhjeet Singh

The future of Indian hockey looks promising with a new generation of talented players making their mark at both junior and senior levels. 

These young athletes have already showed their potential on the international stage, contributing to India’s recent successes. 

Here’s a look at some rising stars in the Indian hockey setup who are poised to play important roles in the coming years.

Amir Ali | Defender 

Amir Ali, the captain of the Indian Junior Men’s Hockey Team, is set to make his mark in the upcoming Hockey India League (HIL) 2024-25.

Bagged by Team Gonasika for a remarkable INR 34 lakh at the HIL auction, Amir’s rise from humble beginnings to the top of Indian hockey is nothing short of inspirational.

Amir, who is a defender, recently led the Indian Team to a Junior Asia Cup title win and now he is excited to play in the upcoming Hockey India League while aiming to continue his winning momentum.

Amir also played for the senior Indian team that won gold at the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy.

Rohit | Defender

Indian Junior Men’s Hockey Team defender Rohit is quickly becoming one of the star defenders in Indian hockey. 

He was an integral part of the 2023 Junior Asia Cup title-winning team, and the Bronze medal-winning team at the Sultan of Johor Cup 2023 and 2024 as well.

Playing for Hockey Chandigarh, Rohit has gained valuable international display, including at the 2023 FIH Junior World Cup.

Ankit Pal | Midfielder

Ankit Pal’s rise in Indian hockey is an inspiring story of resilience. 

At just 19, the midfielder has already represented India at the 2023 Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup, where he made a significant impact.

Known for his ability to transition seamlessly between defence and attack, Ankit is a player with a bright future. 

Mukesh Toppo | Defender

Mukesh Toppo of Odisha is a standout defender in Indian hockey. 

Representing the Punjab Hockey Club Academy, Mukesh has made significant contributions to the Indian junior men’s team.

His defensive skills were on full display during important tournaments like the Sultan of Johor Cup and the Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup. 

Abhishek Nain | Forward

Olympic bronze medal-winning forward Abhishek Nain has quickly established himself as a key forward in the Indian men’s hockey team. 

He made his international debut in 2022 and has since played a crucial role in India’s success at the 2022 Asian Games and Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

Having played 74 matches for India, Abhishek is no stranger to high-pressure situations.

Abhishek was the second-highest paid player in the revived Hockey India League auctions behind India captain Harmanpreet Singh (Rs 78 lakh), fetching Rs 72 lakh from Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers.

Vivek Sagar Prasad | Midfielder

Vivek Sagar Prasad from Bhopal is one of Indian hockey’s brightest stars. 

At just 17, he became the second-youngest player to debut for India.

Since then, the creative playmaker has made over 100 international appearances for India.

He also led the Indian junior hockey team to a silver medal at the Youth Olympic Games 2018 in Buenos Aires.

In the same year, Vivek helped India win bronze at the Asian Games in Jakarta and silver at the Champions Trophy in the Netherlands.

The Indian hockey player was also declared the FIH Men's Rising Star of the Year in 2019.

Playing as a midfielder, Prasad was instrumental in India's bronze medal finish at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics.

He was named FIH Young Player of the Year in 2021.

In 2022, Vivek Sagar Prasad helped India win silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

In 2023, He was part of the Indian team that won gold medals at the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai and the Asian Games in Hangzhou.

Sanjay Rana | Defender 

The Indian Men's Hockey Team player Sanjay, who is a formidable defender and drag-flicker, made his olympic debut in Paris where the team clinched bronze. 

Hailing from Haryana, Sanjay has already earned a reputation as one of India’s most dependable defenders.

He rose through the ranks at the Chandigarh Hockey Academy, making his international debut in 2019.

Sanjay made his senior team debut in June 2022 and quickly made an impact by helping India win the inaugural FIH Hockey5s. 

He has also participated in major tournaments such as the 19th Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou, China, and the Hero Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023, where the team clinched Gold medals. 

His performance in the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021 earned India a 4th position, and he secured a silver medal in the 3rd Youth Olympic Games 2018.

The Indian Premier League is a high-profile, cash-rich league that not only opened doors for the national limelight but has provided financial stability to many undiscovered talents. Players getting selected and jumping out of their comforting sofas out of joy is a very usual scene each and every time the hammer hits after a high bid.

This league has religiously followed its slogan, "Yatra Pratibha Avsara Prapnotihi,” which translates to “Where talent meets opportunity.” Talents like Rinku Singh, T. Natarajan, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Chetan Sakaria, etc. had received ample financial gain due to IPL participation.

However, there will be another name on the list of rejuvination: Amir Ali. Yes, of course, he is none from cricket but from another sport from India, Hockey, that once used to be popular. The 20-year-old young prodigy Amir, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, the state of Lalit Upadhyay, got his name in the Team Gonasika for a whopping 34 lakhs in the Hockey India League (HIL).

Who is Amir Ali?

When did Amir start his hockey journey? Idealy, it is at the age of 10, when a senior coach, Rashid Aziz Khan, noticed him at the KD Singh Babu Stadium. Khan used to mentor and groom the local young talents. Eventually, Ali resided in the same locality and got spotted. 

Amil Ali, however, has another identity—a helper to his father, Tasawar Ali, in his garage. Senior Ali is a motorcycle mechanic, having a small "tin briefcase" in the name of a garage "outside the main gate of the Jal Nigam office.”

Recently, he has been named as the captain for the 18-member Indian junior team in the 12th edition of the Sultan of Johor Cup. The team coached by PR Sreejesh will tour Malaysia as the tournament will start on October 19.

India will begin their campaign against Japan on Oct 19, followed by matches against Great Britain (October 20), host Malaysia (October 22), Australia (October 23), and New Zealand (October 25). The top 2 teams will fight for the title on October 26th. 

Not only that, he is a promising face and is present regularly in the senior camp as a face in the team rebuilding plan.

The father-son partnership; the understanding between "hunar" and passion.

Amir Ali, the eldest of five sibling, had to join his father's business. May be it was a career option to him, or out of responsibility as a son, he stood by his father, believing it was "not one man's job."

Like the engines, his schedule was heavy too. He juggled between three roles a day—a student in the morning, a mechanic in the afternoon, and a hockey player in the evening. 

Like his hockey training started in 10, he started servicing bikes when he was just 12 years old. His father strongly believes, ‘yeh hunar hona chahiye.' The brothers must possess the skill, and they do so as all of them worked in the garage, as Amir does whenever he is at home. 

However, Tasawar never forced Amir to simply stick with education and garage. Rather, he arranged money for Amir's training. There were times when senior Ali borrowed money to meet Amir's sporting needs, while Amir skipped training to help his father in the garage.

But then he got selected in Saifai's Major Dhyan Chand Sports College. This not only facilitated his training but also eased the burden of his father in terms of providing hockey supplies.

Once a fan, now a colleague to Manpreet Singh

Thanks to Amir Ali for letting the fans know that craze has no limitations when it comes to sport. Yes, cricket dominating the Indian periphery is an undisputed truth, but there are lads like Amir Ali who won't think twice before 12 killometers, at the age of 10, just to watch Manpreet Singh playing for Ranchi!

The young Manpreet Singh was a part of the Ranchi Rhinos in the first phase of the Hockey India League. Amir looked upon him like an idol and never missed any HIL match where Manpreet played.

The former captain and two-time Olympic bronze medallist Manpreet, however, is now a teammate to the young Amir Ali. The Visakhapatnam franchise had stolen Manpreet for Rs 42 lakh, with Amir at 34 lakhs next to him.

The Ray of Hope

Leagues are often criticized as an open platform of commercialization. And there is no point of denying the fact. But what's wrong if commercialization lets art get exposed?

There are thousands and lakhs of Amir Ali's who have restricted themselves within the garage. A heavy pay check will encourage many young talents to take up this sport as a means of profession. Even if they do not break out into the national team, the bench won't stay empty.

League will provide them with the required limelight needed for being the talk of the town, as seen in cricket and other sports. Unlimited competition will come into the scene, hoping talents like Amir Ali can cope with it.

Restraining IPL-like criticisms

At certain point, things look exaggerating when people will bring huge and heavy names like Dhyan Chand or his son Ashok Kumar; KD Singh Babu or Mohammad Shahid; Zafar Iqbal or RP Singh behind young Amir's name.

Critiques will try to put him in their shoes, ignoring his beautifully crafted cut with the stick while beating the opposition's press. They will set aside his tacking skills but will remind him about Lalit and other names his state gifted to the Indian Hockey.

That's what critics do—forcefully trying to fit a Rishabh Pant in M.S. Dhoni's shoes, not letting him be himself, and definitely crashing the self-confidence!

Or bringing back flashbacks of his family struggles—how a basic smartphone was beyond his prescribed luxary—similar to how every time someone drags Jaiswal's struggles every time he smashes a good fifty or a century!

Let Amir's talents prevail. Let his stick do the talking, not his upbringing or the whatever legacy his state holds.  

The most anticipated Hockey India League auction will start today, October 13th, at New Delhi and will continue till October 15th. More than 1,000 players have registered for the auction. This includes more than 400 domestic players. and over 150 international players. Apart from the playing hockey players in India, retired stalwarts like Rupinder Pal Singh and Birendra Lakra.

The women's league has more than 250 domestic players and 70+ overseas players registered for the tournament.

Earlier, Hockey India had already mentioned the limited venues assigned for the tournament. These are: Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi, Jharkhand, and Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha. Ranchi will host all the women's matches while the men's matches will take place in Rourkela.

Read Also: Hockey India League back after 7 years: All you need to know about it 

The Team Basics

Irespective of the men's and women's teams, each team can have a maximum of 24 players. Each team cannot bag more than 8 overseas players and should have 24 indigenous players that include at least 4 juniors.

How many teams will play the tournament?

The men's league will play 8 teams this year. The inaugural women's league will play 6 teams. The franchises that have confirmed their investment are: 

• Charles Group, 
• Yadu Sports,
• JSW Sports,
• Shrachi Sports, 
• SG Sports and Entertainment,
• Vedanta Limited,
• Resolute Sports,
• Navoyam Sports Ventures Private Limited

Purse details:

Each of the eight men's team will have a budget of 4 crores, while the women's tean will have 2 crore for the procedure.

As per the auction procedure, there is no upper limit of expenditure on a particular player, but accumulating the required number of players must be done within the purse.

Base price:

Three categories have been induced according to the ranks of each player: Rs 2 lakh (for juniors), Rs 5 lakh, and Rs 10 lakh.

Where to watch the auction?

Hockey India League has initiated their own Hockey India League Youtube channel where they will live stream the entire lauction procedure.

Other than that, DD Sports will broadcast the auction live, from Sunday.

On the first day, ie, 13th October, the auction will start from 2 pm. On the next two days, the auction procedure will commence on and from 9:30 am. in the morning.

The two-month span from March onwards is a festival beyond the yearly almanac. The Indian Premier League blocks all the mundane schedules for seasonal cricket fans. The grandeur it has and the craze and hype it injects into the audience are unmatched. The cash-rich league managed to get a brother in 2013, in Indian Hockey—The Hockey Indian League (HIL). Their motto was the same: popularizing the sport in the country.

The long-run execution fell short of finance and ceased in 2017. After seven long years, HIL is set to make a comeback. On Friday, October 4, Hockey India will inaugurate their HIL 2.0, having Women's Hockey their first HIL!

Hockey India League 2.0

It is a resurgence, rather than a revamp of the previous edition of the Hockey Premier League, with better planning and steady finance.

The IPL started after the 2007 T-20 World Cup win. This version of HIL is nothing but a by-product of two back-to-back Olympic bronzes and a gold in the Asian Games.  HI has announced that the HIL will start with initially 8 teams in the men's and 6 in the women's edition.

A total of 10 franchise owners have come on board.

For the men's event, franchises that came forward are:

• Chennai- Charles Group, 
• Lucknow- Yadu Sports, 
• Punjab- JSW Sports, 
• West Bengal- Shrachi Sports, 
• Delhi- SG Sports and Entertainment (team name: Delhi SG Pipers)
• Odisha- Vedanta Limited (team name: Kalinga Lancers)
• Hyderabad- Resolute Sports (team name: Hyderabad Toofans)
• Ranchi- Navoyam Sports Ventures Private Limited.

The women team owners are:

• Haryana-JSW Sports (team name: Delhi SG Pipers)
• West Bengal- Shrachi Sports,
• Delhi- SG Sports and Entertainment and 
• Odisha-  Navoyam Sports Ventures Private Limited.

Each franchise will build a 24-player (men and women each) squad. Each team will have a mix of 16 Indian players, a mandatory inclusion of four junior players, and a maximum of eight international players.

To make the pre-tournament phases more scintillating, the auction procedure has been added to it. Three categories have been induced according to the ranks of each player: Rs 2 lakh (for juniors), Rs 5 lakh, and Rs 10 lakh.

The auction will take place between Oct 13 and 15.

However, the tournament will be restricted to venues only. Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi, Jharkhand, and Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha. Ranchi will host all the women's matches while the men's matches will take place in Rourkela.

The main reason behind limiting it to two stadiums is finance and the craze. 

Finance

According to the Times of India, a huge sum of Rs 3,640 crore will be invested for Hockey Indian League purposes for the coming 10 years. HI  will chip in some 112 crore each year, mainly on HL's title sponsor and media rights.

A few sources informed that HI has promised to contribute a total of Rs. 1,120 crore for the coming ten years for the swift perpetration of the revamp.

The franchises will lay out around Rs 18 crores on each of the total 14 teams (men and women), each year, which translates into Rs 252 crore for 14 teams.

Thus, for 10 years, franchises will be shelling out Rs 2,520 crore largely on players and coaching support staff’s salaries. The expenditure also includes grants for grassroot development of the sport through their hockey academies.

Thus, considering HI’s contribution of Rs 1,120 crore and franchises’ spending of Rs 2,520 crore, HIL will boast of a total investment purse of Rs 3,640 crore.

Earlier, HO: wasn't limited to just two venues. But HI president Dilip Tirkey clarified that it has been done to reduce the travel and reservation cost of home and away matches. Additionally, the venues have been chosen keeping in mind the popularity of hockey in that place.

The inaugural women's event

From 2013 to 2017, the women's version of the Hockey Premier League wasn't available. For the first time, female hockey players in India will have a dedicated platform to showcase their skills on a large scale. 

The women's team has been an absolute spectacle in the Tokyo Olympics. Savita Punia was no short in fame when compared to PR Sreejesh in terms of skill. The windy Vandana Kataria, hopefully, won't be a name to those fans, but in all households.

It's not about promoting gender equality in a sport when a section of it is yet to rise its head in India. It's more about breaking taboos about women wearing skirts, like what Rani Rampal faced in her childhood. It is more about providing a well-structured hockey stick to the budding players instead of a mere bamboo stick!

Drawbacks that got corrected

The 2013–2017 version of the Hockey Indian League had its financial drawbacks. But other than that, it had clashes of schedule,

A league that could have been as big as a festival, to the fans, couldn't manage to get an uninterrupted vacant place in the FIH calendar. The Hockey Pro League came into being, which ate up whatever space was remaining.

However, this year, President Tirkey and Secretary Bhola Nath Singh have assured that such disruptions won't happen from now on. Both have revealed that the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has granted the window from December 28 to February 5 for the next 10 years.

HIL winners till 2017

2013- Ranchi Rhinos

2014- Delhi Waveriders

2015- Ranchi Rays

2016- Punjab Warriors

2017: Kalinga Lancers

Game recognizes Game

Athletes investing in franchises is not new. So does hockey. Mahesh Bhupathi, the Indian tennis legend, has invested in the Delhi SG Pipers franchise

Adding further excitement, former Indian hockey goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who was freshly appointed as the coach for the junior hockey team, is now the mentor for the Delhi franchise. 

Hockey Indian League: Opening new doors to talent

Say, for example, the Indian Premier League! It is a cash-rich league because of the unwavering fan support, definitely due to the monetization of the league. 

But it has more efficacy due to its role in nurturing young talents. HIL is nothing short of that. The international players will not be just teammates but leaders and seniors whom the rookies will look up to.

This will increase the pace of the game, adding more skills and perfection to the drags and flicks. 

An Indian fan probably won't be expecting some foul on the body to get a penalty corner so that some Amit Rohidas or Harmanpreet Singh convert it into a goal. A basic wish to see a ball in play before hitting the net, just as Australians do, will be fulfilled hopefully.