The Hockey India League is testing talent for 2026 World Cup bid

There’s a lot at stake when the Hockey India League (HIL) gets underway on 3 January. It’s the calm before a momentous storm that Indian men’s national team will hope to power through in 2026—Pro Hockey League fixtures in February and June, followed by the World Cup in August and the Asian Games in September.

The last few years have been an erratic period for the senior men’s side where they have shown flashes of brilliance that won them consecutive bronze medals at the Olympics. And disheartening slumps, such as last year when they finished eighth of nine teams in the Pro Hockey League. Their dominance in Asia has been unquestionable, but there’s still the need for consistency to be considered a regular contender among the big boys of world hockey.

Last season, the restarted HIL was a chance to test waters for club hockey in India. But this second edition will present an opportunity for players to get a foot in the door and be in the reckoning for national team selection ahead of important tournaments.

Arshdeep Singh would certainly know. After making the junior national side in 2024, his consistency for last season’s runners-up, Hyderabad Toofans—he scored three goals and was declared the “Upcoming Player of the Tournament”—earned him a senior debut during the Pro Hockey League earlier this year. It was a similar story for Angad Bir Singh of Vedanta Kalinga Lancers.

“The league is a great platform for youngsters to play alongside experienced players. Besides helping them transition from the junior to senior level, this is their moment to get noticed and make the cut for the India camp,” says Chinglensana Singh Kangujam, a former international and now selector for Hockey India.

Most of the Indian players at the ongoing Junior Hockey World Cup have been picked up as part of the 20-member squad of each team that features 13 Indian players (with three juniors mandatory) and seven internationals. Investing in young talent was the common thread at the mini-auction in September. Australian midfielder, Liam Henderson, 22, was the most expensive pick at ₹42 lakh and will turn out for the Kalinga Lancers. Starting at a base price of ₹2 lakh, India junior goalkeeper, Vivek Lakra, 17, was eventually bought by the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers for a whopping ₹23 lakh. In fact, the team also invested in Ketan Kushwaha, the youngest in the league at 14 years.

“I observed Ketan in a few local tournaments where he looked really confident. The idea is to give him useful minutes on the pitch. If he gets the exposure now and continues working hard, he’s sure to be a big talent for India,” says Jagraj Singh, hockey director at Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers.

The young feet will complement experienced heads that Bengal Tigers’ coach, Colin Batch, banked on en route the title last season. The trio of Rupinder Pal Singh, Sukhjeet Singh and Abhishek Nain was at the heart of their triumph. Jugraj put the finishing touches to their campaign with 12 goals, the most in the league that included a thrilling hat-trick in the final.

The tournament saw 199 goals in all with an average of 4.5 goals per game. According to HIL, the league had a reach of 40.8 million viewers, a 48% increase over the 2017 season when it was last held. The inaugural women’s HIL featuring four teams drew 15.1 million viewers, where Odisha Warriors beat JSW Soorma Hockey Club in the final.

But teething troubles persist, similar to 2017 when financial strain on teams forced the league to shut shop. Earlier this year, the men’s teams, UP Rudras and Team Gonasika, withdrew from the league while Odisha Warriors opted out on the women’s side. While Ranchi Royals will field teams in both leagues as replacements for the second season, another team managed by the HIL Council will take over operations of UP Rudras. At the heart of the matter is the franchise fee ( ₹7 crore for men and ₹3 crore for women), which Hockey India may consider waiving off for a few seasons starting next year to provide the owners some relief.

“Teams have withdrawn because the league has nothing to offer them after all the investment. The fee hurts us and the league needs to find a few more sponsors to get this burden off our head,” Jagraj says.

The other problem, like teams experienced last year, was the withdrawal of European players. It’s been a recurring theme this season as well.

“After they are sold at a certain price during the auction, a few players want more money to play the league. We have to then start looking for replacements in a short period of time and get them to fit into the coach’s scheme of things. We considered going with Asian players, but they aren’t at the same level as the Europeans,” Jagraj says.

The presence of seasoned campaigners is a good opportunity for young players to observe them at close quarters. During his time as a player in the HIL, Chinglensana recalls picking up useful tips from Aussie legend, Jamie Dwyer. Araijeet Singh Hundal realised the need to bring aggression to his game while playing alongside Jacob Draper in Team Gonasika last year.

“I would like to grasp as much as I can from Tom Boon this season, since we are both strikers and on penalty corner duties. My career has just started and there are all kinds of things that I can learn. This will benefit a young player like me, especially ahead of a busy year where there’s a spot on the senior national team at stake,” Araijeet says.

The league will hand a lifeline to players like Devindar Walmiki, who aspires to don national colours again. Since 2017, when he last played for the Indian team, he’s continued to ply his trade in some of the top leagues such as Holland and Germany to prove his worth. He now hopes to make the most of the familiarity with his teammates at Hyderabad Toofans, who have retained their entire squad for the second season.

“Besides playing in multiple foreign leagues, I’ve also been playing the National Games and a lot of domestic tournaments. But through HIL last year, I had a chance to show what I have to offer. We have a good mix of players and my main goal is to make the list of probables for the India camp,” Walmiki says.

Going into an important period in the months ahead, the multiple options will certainly add to coach Craig Fulton’s selection dilemma, one that is certainly good for Indian hockey.

Shail Desai is a Mumbai-based freelance writer.

PREVIOUS STATS

Goals scored: 199

Avg. goals per match: 4.5

Field goals: 103

Penalty corners: 89

Penalty strokes: 7

Top Performers From Last Season

Best goalkeeper: Bikramjit Singh, Hyderabad Toofans

Upcoming player of the tournament: Arshdeep Singh, Hyderabad Toofans

Top scorer of the tournament: Jugraj Singh, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers

Player of the tournament: Sukhjeet Singh, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers