India's World Cup players urge authorities to save Women's Hockey India League
India's women hockey players on August 25, 2026 urged authorities at the World Cup to ensure the Women's Hockey India League (HIL) continues, saying the competition has been instrumental in the development of a young national side. The squad includes 11 World Cup debutants and has suffered only one defeat so far—against Olympic champions the Netherlands.
India began their campaign with a 2-2 draw against Olympic silver medallists China and a scoreless draw against Australia that ended their hopes of reaching the semi-finals. A finish of fifth or sixth would represent India's best World Cup placing since 1974, according to the team.
Several players credited the Women's HIL with providing exposure and belief to emerging talent; Ishika, Sakshi, Shilpi Dabas and Lalthanluangi were cited as players who earned opportunities after strong HIL performances. Team members warned that discontinuing the league could deny future generations a crucial development platform.
"I think we have done our best to inspire girls in India to hold a hockey stick. People prefer their kids to play individual sports, but this should give them hope," veteran midfielder Neha, who led Odisha Warriors to the maiden HIL title, told PTI. "In the last two years, HIL for women has benefited us a lot. Junior and senior Nationals do not have this level of competition. Women's HIL has given us players like Baljeet, Sakshi and Rutuja, who are part of this World Cup team. For upcoming players also, we need this league. It should not be discontinued."
India captain Salima Tete said the league had widened the talent pool and created selection pathways. "We have many players from HIL in the Indian team. They get a chance to be selected for the national camp, which is an important opportunity for them," she said. "This is just the beginning for us and there is much more to achieve. For that, HIL is a must so that our talent pool is broadened and the girls get good exposure to handling the pressure of international hockey."
Navneet Kaur described how playing alongside top international players in HIL built confidence. "We have been playing HIL for the last two years and gained confidence from that. We have played with some of the biggest names in international hockey and after sharing the dressing room with them, the fear and hesitation was gone," she said. "That gave us self-belief. We often discuss that they are like us and we can beat them because we have played with them." She added: "We have heard that a few teams are pulling out of the Women's HIL, but at a time when our performance graph is going up, we want to request them to support us. It will be a big setback for women's hockey and the future crop of players," she said.
Organisers and franchises say the revived league is battling significant financial difficulties, including high operating expenses, modest income from broadcasting and ticket sales, delays in player payments and a shortage of major sponsors. Franchise sources told reporters the current numbers make the model difficult to sustain and that operating men's and women's teams together can cost a franchise roughly Rs 10–12 crore, including an administrative charge of about Rs 1 crore.
The inaugural edition of the Women's HIL featured four franchises—Delhi SG Pipers, JSW Soorma Hockey Club, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers and Odisha Warriors; Odisha Warriors were subsequently removed after issues related to unpaid player salaries and franchise dues, with Ranchi Royals taking their place for the second season. Ranchi Royals have since been terminated, payments to some Indian players remain pending, and last season's finalists Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers are reportedly considering pulling out. The Rs 2.5-crore franchise fee has been waived for the women's team ahead of the third season, but concerns over the league's commercial viability remain.
India will now compete in the fifth-place playoff at the World Cup; a final placing of fifth or sixth would be the nation's best World Cup finish since 1974.