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Hockey India (HI) secretary Bhola Nath Singh has confirmed that the Hockey India League (HIL) men's and women's leagues will be played in January 2025. Singh made the announcement during the HI annual awards function in New Delhi on Sunday (March 31).
The men's league will see participation from eight teams, while six teams will contest the women's league.
HIL was held for five seasons from 2013 to 2017 and helped Indian Hockey prosper. Through the league, the young players got much-needed exposure that helped them seal crunch games for the national team.
Due to the tight schedule and financial constraints, the league could not be revived after 2018.
Since assuming the role of President in September 2022, Dilip Tirkey has been pressing to resume the HIL. In April 2023, Hockey India announced Big Bang Media Ventures Pvt. Ltd. as their exclusive commercial and marketing partner agency for the league. Last month, Tirkey confirmed they were in final talks with the franchises and were receiving positive responses.
This year is certainly a crucial one for the Men's hockey team as they strive for a podium finish in the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the Tokyo Olympics, they secured a bronze medal and will look to go a few steps further to win a gold medal for the country. Although the women's team could not qualify for the Olympics, the league will give them a boost in terms of discovering talented players from the country.
While the window for the league has been finalized, the venues are yet to be decided.
What happened in Hockey India League 2017?
Hockey India League 2017 was played from January 21 to February 26 of the year.
The tournament was played in a double round-robin format with six teams, Kalinga Lancers, Delhi Waveriders, Ranchi Rays, Punjab Warriors, Dabang Mumbai, and Uttar Pradesh Wizards.
The matches took place at six venues: Delhi, Bhubaneshwar, Ranchi, Lucknow, Chandigarh, and Mumbai.
Kalinga Lancers secured a 4-1 victory over Dabang Mumbai team to clinch their maiden title. They were also awarded a prize money of INR 3 crore. Mumbai's Florian Fuchs was named the Player of the Tournament, with 10 goals.
