NEW DELHI: Indian hockey has been on an upswing, especially after the men’s team’s back-to-back medal-winning campaigns in the Olympics and the recent title triumph in the Asian Champions trophy.
Given hockey’s growing popularity, Hockey India (HI), the sports national federation, has revived its Hockey India League (HIL) after a hiatus of seven years. HIL promises to break new grounds in a country where cricket calls the shots.
HI on Friday announced the return of HIL with the introduction of eight men’s and six women’s teams after working on the idea for six months. HIL is returning in a bigger and better avatar — as a money-spinning vehicle to lure top hockey players from across the world worldwide through big paycheques.
A total of 10 franchise owners have come on board. The players’ auction is scheduled between Oct 13-15 here. HI has entered into an agreement with team owners for the next 10 years to run the league, and it’s the huge investment both by HI and the franchises which has set the tongues wagging.
TOI has learnt that Rs 3,640 crore will be spent on the league over the next 10 years, with HI chipping in with an investment of Rs 112 crore each year, largely banking on HIL’s title sponsor(s), other promoters and broadcast deal.
According to sources, HI has pledged a total investment of Rs 1,120 crore for 10 years to sustain the league. There are a total of 14 teams with some among the 10 owners buying multiple city-based franchises. It’s been learnt that franchises will spend around Rs 18 crore on each team (men and women) every year which translates into Rs 252 crore for 14 teams. So, for the next 10 years, franchises will shelve out Rs 2,520 crore – largely on players and coaching support staff’s salaries and grassroot development of the sport through their hockey academies. So, 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.
It’s been learnt that out of Rs 18 crore to be spent by rach team, the players’ purse for every franchise has been fixed at Rs seven crore for men and Rs four crore for women each year. Each franchise will build a 24-player (men and women each) squad, consisting of 16 Indian players with a mandatory inclusion of four junior players and a maximum of eight international players.
Players will be auctioned in three categories with their base price being Rs 2 lakh (for juniors), Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh. For example, if the Indian men’s team captain Harmanpreet Singh reserves his base price at Rs 10 lakh, he could be bought for a much higher amount. The team owners have to ensure that they adhere to the cap of Rs seven crore for building their men’s squad.
The return of HIL will mark the first time a standalone women’s league will run concurrently with the men’s competition. “The introduction of an exclusive women’s league within the HIL framework will provide a powerful platform for female athletes to demonstrate their prowess, paving the way for a more inclusive and competitive future for Indian hockey,” HI president Dilip Tirkey said.
FIH, the sport’s world governing body, has given sanction of 10 years for HIL. A dedicated window between the last week of December and first week of February has been created for the league. No other competition will take place during that window to ensure the top foreign players remain available for selection.
Tirkey added it was his dream to revive the league since taking over the charge of the federation. “Premier Hockey League started the culture of league in the world. Since the day we were elected it was our dream to revive the league and today the dream has been fulfilled. HIL has been and will be a supply chain for the national teams. HIL is going to create a history for the sport. HIL is very important for world hockey. We are thankful to the FIH for giving us a 35-day window.”