Women’s Hockey India League 2024-25 to commence with four teams; two new teams to add from next season

Hyderabad: The inaugural edition of the Women’s Hockey India League 2024-25 will only have four teams and not six teams, as announced earlier. The organisers of the Women’s Hockey India League 2024-25 have decided to go ahead with four teams – Soorma Hockey Club, Shrachi Rahr Bengal Tigers, Delhi SG Pipers and Odisha Warriors – and two teams, owned by the BC Jindal Group and Resolute Sports, will make an entry into the league from the next season onwards.

The player auction for the Women’s Hockey India League 2024-25 will be held on October 15, 2024, with more than 250 Indian players and around 70 foreign players in the fray.

Each franchise should have 24 players in their squad out of which there should be 16 Indian players. Each franchise must have four junior hockey players, to enable the Hockey India League, to be a feeder system for the international arena.

The base price for players are divided into three categories – INR 10 lakh, INR 5 lakh and INR 2 lakh.

Top Indian players like former captain and goalkeeper Savita Punia, present Indian women’s team captain Salima Tete, ace drag-flicker Deepika, Vandana Katariya and Lalremsiami are some of the notable names who will go under the hammer on Tuesday.

Some of the international players in the player auction include Delfina Merino (Argentina), Charlotte Stapenhorst (Germany), Maria Granatto (Argentina), Rachael Lynch (Australia), and Nike Lorenz (Germany).

Dilip Tirkey, the president of Hockey India, said the Women’s Hockey India League is touted to create new heroes in the next generation set of players. “We are proud to host the first-ever women’s auction, which is not just about building teams but also about building legacies. We are excited to see our domestic talent go head-to-head with some of the best international players and create new heroes for the next generation,” Tirkey said in a statement.

He added that the Women’s Hockey India League promises to be a watershed moment in the annals of Indian hockey. “The Women’s HIL 2024-25 promises to be a watershed moment for Indian hockey, further propelling the sport’s growth on both national and international stages,” Tirkey added.