Hockey India League 2.0: A glorious 7-year return with a historic first for women

In 2017, hockey fans in India were given a big jolt when Hockey India decided to shut down the Hockey India League. The competition, which certainly had its inspiration from the famous Indian Premier League, started in 2013 and captured the imagination of the fans. The Indian team stars were rubbing shoulders with some of the big names in hockey as they put aside their national rivalries for some time and came together with the goal of winning the HIL title.
However, things will come to a halt in 2017 for different reasons. While the hockey calendar was considered to be the main factor for HIL going on a hiatus. The arrival of the Hockey Pro League was another factor but the financial constraints for franchises, according to reports, also played a role in the league going away from the fans. But now, HIL is back in a new and improved avatar. And this time, the women’s stars will also be back on the turf.
The revamped league was rolled out to the fans on October 4, Friday. The eye-catching news was the introduction of the Women’s HIL, which will be simultaneously with the men’s edition. There are going to be 8 teams in the men’s one and 6 in the women’s edition, meaning that the action is going to be scintillating.
Apart from this, the focus on developing young talent will see each team have 4 U-21 players in their squad of 24. There will be 16 Indian players in each team and 8 foreigners. But the biggest factor we could see when the announcement was made the amount of groundwork which has been done by Hockey India before they decided to bring back the league from dead.
While the announcement was being made a proud Dilip Tirkey, Hockey India president and Bhola Nath Singh, Secretary General, revealed how they went to the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and blocked in a window for the league. FIH would grant the wish and gave them the window from December 28 to February 5 for the next 10 years.
Apart from this, they have also decided to have just 2 cities to host both leagues for now. The men’s edition will happen in Rourkela and the women’s one will take place in Ranchi. Tirkey, while talking to the media, revealed that these things were done with finances in mind and to ensure the long life of the leagues.
“Yes, we also want to keep the financials of hockey and the franchises in mind. Our goal is to ensure the league runs long-term, which is why we chose only two cities. With the home-and-away system, there are financial implications. So, considering that, we selected two cities. Also, people are excited to watch hockey, and we wanted to host matches in places where the craze for hockey is strong. For example, in Ranchi or Rourkela, people are crazy about hockey. So, we want to take that into account as well. For now, this is only for the first season. In the future, we will think about expanding it further to improve the league,” said Tirkey.
With the financial constraints proving to be a death knell last time, HI are ensuring the same doesn’t happen this time. Tirkey wants the franchises to come in with their issues so that it can be solved quickly,
“What I meant is that the franchises and Hockey India should work together to ensure the smooth running of the league. That’s our main goal. If there’s any financial issue or technical difficulty, they should come to us and talk. We are always here. If there’s any problem, it should be addressed,” said Tirkey.
While these maybe small steps, the measures seem to be in place to ensure the league does make a steady start and then take the big jump in the coming years.
While the league happened from 2013 to 2017, the Indian women’s team stars were left on the sidelines. They were missing out on the chance that was given to the men’s team to get the exposure that was needed to improve them as a side. The results were evident as the Indian team has been on the rise by winning the bronze medals at consecutive Olympics, a gold at the Asian Games.
The women’s team had a remarkable 2020 Olympics as they would finish 4th and miss out on the medal by a whisker. The team, however, couldn’t make it to Paris this year and this sort of forced the hand of HI to start the league for their women players.
Tirkey was overjoyed with the development as he feels the league will now give the players the confidence needed to bring in consistent results.
“I believe that just like in the men’s league, which ran from 2013 to 2017, where young players got the chance to play and are now stars in the Indian team, the league played a major role in giving young players confidence and helping them mature. So, definitely, having a women’s league will give young female players confidence, and they will improve. It will be a huge benefit for the future of women’s hockey, and that’s why we are eager for it to happen,” said Tirkey.
Sardar Singh, the former Indian men’s team captain, went on to say he was more happy to see the introduction of the Women’s HIL, and he feels in a few years time, the league could help discover many talented stars and help the team become consistent on the world stage.
“I’m very happy, especially for the women’s team. Over the past four to five years, the Indian women’s team has performed exceptionally well and given hope that they can win medals at international events like the Olympics. So, I think this is a great initiative. I want to thank all the franchises and Hockey India for appreciating women’s hockey so much. If this league continues for two, three, or even five years, we will discover many talented players. I don’t think the day is far when our women’s team will consistently finish strong on the world stage,” said Sardar.
While it seems like early days for the tournament, HI seems to have made the right steps to have the HILs run for a longer period. The Olympic success of the men’s team has piqued the interest of everyone, but now the challenge is to ensure the support comes in and the Indian teams continue to make bigger strides.
The IPL did wonders in that aspect for cricket and it looks like HIL could be taking the right calls to ensure they replicate the same success.