NEW DELHI: The return of Hockey India League (HIL) after seven years also marks the entry of the women's edition for the first time, which will run simultaneously with the men's tournament. However, ahead of the women players' auction on October 15, the initial plan of having six teams for the competition has received a setback.
Hockey India had earlier announced four franchise owners for the women's edition, while keeping the remaining two on hold. But the federation revealed on Monday that the 2024-25 season will remain a four-team competition for the women, while naming two more franchise owners that will be part of the event from Season 2 onwards.
The four confirmed franchise owners for Season 1 are:
1. Soorma Hockey Club, Haryana and Punjab - Owned by JSW
2. Shrachi Rahr Bengal Tigers, West Bengal - Owned by Shrachi Sports
3. SG Pipers, Delhi - Owned by SG Sports & Entertainment
4. Odisha Warriors, Rourkela - Navoyam Sports Ventures Private Limited
To feature from Season 2 onwards:
5. Hyderabad Toofan
6. BC Jindal Group, Mumbai
The Women's HIL auction will have 250 Indian and over 70 overseas players going under the hammer, after the two-day auction for the eight men's franchises gets over on Monday.
The four franchises will have a purse of INR 2 crores each to form a team of maximum 24 players. The base price slabs set for players are INR 10 lakhs, INR 5 lakhs, and INR 2 lakhs.
The four teams will have to bid for 16 Indian players (with a mandatory inclusion of four juniors) and a maximum of eight foreign players.
With the number of teams going down for the first season of the Women's HIL, the number of matches and duration of the league will also likely be re-evaluated, which Hockey India is yet to confirm.
