With franchises threatening to exit, payment disputes mounting, and foreign players staying away, the Hockey India League is battling for survival ahead of its third edition.
Barely two years after being re-launched, the third edition of the Hockey India League (HIL) is facing severe uncertainty as the competition battles survival on multiple fronts. Amid disappointing performances by the Indian national teams at the ongoing World Cup, several existing franchises are on the verge of exiting, while interest from foreign players has sharply declined.
The league's financial and operational troubles have hit both the men's and women's competitions. Shrachi Tigers, owners of the Bengal franchise in both divisions, are currently seeking investors to offload their stake and exit. Meanwhile, the Ranchi Royals franchise was terminated over non-payment issues after writing to the HIL Governing Council regarding commercial transparency and the non-receipt of ₹10 crore in promised sponsorship from the Jharkhand government. Hockey India cleared the franchise's dues from its revenue share.
In the four-team women's competition, only JSW Sports and APL Apollo—owners of the Delhi SG Pipers—have verbally agreed to continue after considering an exit. Federation sources indicate that discussions for a Bangalore-based franchise are in the final stages to maintain a four-team structure. However, the men's tournament is expected to shrink from eight teams down to five or six.
Uncertainty surrounding payments has also affected player recruitment, forcing Hockey India to extend its initial foreign player registration deadline from July 24 to August 31. To salvage the league, Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey has held multiple meetings across the country with franchise owners—including JSW's Parth Jindal and APL Apollo's Sanjay Gupta—as well as representatives from the Tata Group. The ongoing crisis prompted Tirkey to cancel his travel to the World Cup to focus on resolving HIL's future.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Hockey. Photo courtesy The Hindu Hockey.