More than 1,000 domestic male and female players are up for auction. Around 500 international stars have expressed interest, a number that could grow after the Paris Olympics. There are nearly 30 companies keen to buy the team. There are no Pakistani players.
The revamped Hockey India League (HIL) is set to return this year with a host of new features, including increased prize money for players, stricter franchise criteria and just two venues instead of the usual home-and-away format.
However, Pakistani players will not be included and Hockey India officials said only international players from countries currently ranked in the top 15 in the world will be able to register for the auction to be held after the Paris Olympics in August.
According to the latest rankings by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), Pakistan is ranked 16th in the world.
An official from the Hockey Board of India maintained that excluding Pakistan was “unintentional”. “When we made the rule, we were not even aware that Pakistan was not in the top 15 in the world. Initially, we had thought of only including players from countries that are in the top 10 in the world to ensure quality. But after much deliberation, we decided to go for the top 15,” the official said.
Nine Pakistani players competed in the inaugural HIL tournament in 2013. But they were relegated to the middle of the league following political protests over the killing of Indian soldiers in Jammu and Kashmir. No Pakistani players have played in the HIL since. Despite being hugely lucrative for Indian men's hockey, it was discontinued in 2017 due to the financial burden it imposed on team owners.
Licensed Window
With the repackaged league set to resume (FIH has cleared it for the period from the last week of December to the first week of February), it is learnt that Hockey India's commercial and marketing partner, Big Bang Media Ventures, has held talks with over 30 potential owners.
Among the companies that have shown interest in buying franchises are those with teams in the Indian Premier League, Indian Super League and affiliated chess academies.
These include Adani, Jindal Sports, Westbridge, which is a partner in Viswanathan Anand's Chess Academy, GMR, which is co-owner of IPL's Delhi Capitals, SG Sports, whose CEO is Mahesh Bhupathi, Shrati Sports, sponsor of East Bengal's cricket and hockey teams, and JK Cement.
The franchise owners will have to pay an annual fee of Rs 7 crore for the men's team and Rs 3 crore for the women's team and the agreements are expected to be finalised within the next few weeks. The initial contract period will be for 10 years, the people said.
To make it cost-effective for investors, the first two seasons of HIL are likely to be held at just two venues — Ranchi and Rourkela — while the men's and women's leagues are likely to be held simultaneously.
Once the franchise agreements are signed, the player auction process will begin. “The interest has been overwhelming, especially from overseas players. More than 500 players have registered for the auction and several countries have requested that the deadline be extended until after the Olympics,” the source said.
