“There is a revolution happening in Indian hockey.”

You could write them down as cliches, but some of the franchise owners hit the right notes when asked what made them come forward to invest in the revamped Hockey India League. On Friday in New Delhi, in the midst of former Indian hockey stars and corporate investors who have shelled out the big bucks, Dilip Tirkey used the word “sapna” (dream) multiple times in his speech as Hockey India confirmed the return of the tournament that last took place in 2017. A seven-year wait will be officially over, come December.

While the previous iteration that ran for five years was popular amongst fans, financial problems on the ownership side saw it curtailed. But now, after much anticipation since Tirkey took over as Hockey India’s president, the sapna becomes a reality.

The most striking difference is that this time around, a women’s league (6 teams) will run parallel with the men’s (8 teams). In India, while there has been a proliferation of sporting leagues since the success of IPL, a majority of them have been for male athletes. Except the recent, Women’s Premier League in cricket, other sports haven’t been able to crack that space.

“We had initial plans for four teams but there were fans and some administrators who told us we needed more than that to produce a bigger volume of players, so we decided to increase the number,” Tirkey told The Indian Express on the sidelines of the event. “Given that each team is required to have four U21 players, having two more teams increases the standard of youth players. There were enough teams also coming forward to own women’s teams, so that also played a part.”

Four of the six team owners (and cities) have been confirmed while two more are in the process of being finalised. Parth Jindal-led JSW Sports (Haryana for women, Punjab for men), Shrachi Sports (Kolkata), SG Sports and Entertainment (Delhi), Navoyam Sports (Odisha) will have teams in both the leagues. The other four team owners with just men’s teams are Charles Group (Chennai), Yadu Sports (Lucknow), Vedanta Limited (Odisha), and Resolute Sports (Hyderabad).

“The sport has a very strong heritage and JSW’s love for Indian sport is well known. But as you can see I am the only woman sitting on the dias and it is the women’s league that really excites me,” Manisha Malhotra, Head – Sports Excellence and Scouting for JSW Sports Pvt Ltd, said. “The HIL is going to do wonders for the women. In India, we need platforms like this. We are looking forward to the women’s teams to outshine the men. Indian sports story is connected to women, they are going to be leading the show. If we are going to break the barrier at the Olympics in terms of being in the top 15, it’s the women who will put us there.”

“Women’s sport in India is on the rise at a faster pace than men’s, that’s why we were very keen on buying both teams,” former India tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi, who is part of the Delhi ownership, added.

Tirkey hoped that the league comes at the right moment for women’s hockey in India, who endured a heartbreak by missing out on qualification for Paris Olympics. “The five seasons of HIL from 2013 gave us a lot of young talent who are now part of the main teams, and are stars who are part of the Olympic medal-winning squads. HIL played a major role in bringing them up to the world-class level. That is the sort of impact we are hoping for the women in this Olympic cycle,” the former India captain added.

Sustainability was the other buzzword on the day. In his speech, Tirkey called on the franchise owners to communicate with Hockey India if they are having any issues running their teams. Hence the decision to keep the 2024-’25 edition of the league to just two venues and not in a home-away format.

“Our objective is to keep the league going long-term, so we have to keep the franchises’ health in mind. That is why we decided to stick to two venues for the first season at least, and picked cities where we know there is a craze for hockey. If you have watched matches in Ranchi and Rourkela, you’d know,” Tirkey said.

A couple of franchise owners too spoke about working together off the field with a common goal to keep the league going strong. “Hockey was lacking the involvement of the private sector but all these franchises joining with Hockey India in full force, there will be no stopping the sport now,” Sanjeev Srivastava, Managing Director, Navoyam Sports Ventures Private Limited said.

“We should make sure that HIL is thinking long-term and that can happen only if the franchises work together, and the vision is aligned. Each team will have their objectives, but the league has to create a situation where they connect quickly with the youth of the nation. HIL 1.0 is behind us, and times have changed. Apart from the league’s logo, I request we leave no connection with the previous version. This must be HIL 2.0.”

Sreejesh with a new role

One of the early headline-grabbing announcements is PR Sreejesh being named Director of Hockey by the Delhi franchise where he will be reunited with former India head coach Graham Reid (head coach of the men’s team). The legendary Indian goalkeeper, who got a fabulous farewell from international hockey with a second Olympic Games bronze recently, has quickly transitioned into a management role for the Delhi franchise, owned by SG Sports, Media & Entertainment.

“Having hung my boots as a professional athlete, I wish to groom the next generation of hockey players in the country and give back to the sport that has given me so much,” Sreejesh said.

KEY FACTS:

– HIL auction on October 13, 14 and 15.
– Each team will have a 24-player squad, consisting of at least 16 Indians – with a mandatory inclusion of 4 junior players – and 8 international stars.
– Three slabs for players: Rs 2 lakh, 5 lakh and 10 lakh. No upper limit for player recruitment but teams will have a salary cap.
– Shootouts will be played in case of drawn matches
– FIH has given the sanction for a window specific for HIL for 10 years, from last week of December to first week of February

List of Men’s Franchises and their Owners

1.    Chennai – Charles Group
2.    Lucknow – Yadu Sports
3.    Punjab – JSW Sports
4.    West Bengal – Shrachi Sports
5.    Delhi – SG Sports and Entertainment
6.    Odisha – Vedanta Limited
7.    Hyderabad – Resolute Sports
8.    Ranchi – Navoyam Sports Ventures Private Limited

List of Women’s Franchises and their Owners

1.    Haryana – JSW Sports
2.    West Bengal – Shrachi Sports
3.    Delhi – SG Sports and Entertainment
4.    Odisha – Navoyam Sports Ventures Private Limited