Revival of Hockey India League on the anvil

The revival of the Hockey India League (HIL) is on the anvil, the national governing body of hockey in India - Hockey India (HI) announced on Monday.

In a statement, Hockey India said it signed a commercial and marketing partner to start the HIL, but it didn’t announce the format and the host cities. Hockey India will have to get the nod from the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to fit the Indian Hockey League into the international calendar to allow the participation of foreign players.

“Hockey India shall share details of the HIL schedule, format and host cities in due course,” Hockey India said in a statement.

Dilip Tirkey, president of Hockey India, said the federation is moving forward to launch the HIL.

“HIL was one of my top priorities when I assumed office as president of Hockey India,” Tirkey said in a press release. “The HIL will not only revitalize hockey in India, but also bring fresh energy to the sport globally.”

The previous edition of the HIL started in 2013 with five city-based teams, including Delhi Waveriders, Punjab Warriors and Kalinga Lancers. The league lasted for five seasons until 2017.

The national governing body of hockey in India, however, postponed the HIL in 2018. According to a senior coach associated with one of the HIL teams, the league wasn’t financial viable.

“It was difficult for the franchises to continue. Some of the players weren’t paid their dues by the teams,” the hockey coach said on condition of anonymity.

The previous edition of the HIL certainly gave an opportunity to promising players from across India to showcase their talent, but there is no correlation with the overall performance of the national hockey teams at the global level.

The national men’s team failed to impress at the 2012 London Olympic Games and 2016 Rio Olympic Games. However, at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games held in 2021 in Japan, the men’s team ended a 40-year drought by winning bronze, while the women’s team finished a creditable fourth.

Post the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the men’s team has looked off-color and finished a disappointing ninth at the 2023 Hockey World Cup held in Odisha.