Revived Hockey India League’s third edition faces uncertainty in New Delhi report
In New Delhi on August 25, 2026 the revived Hockey India League’s third edition was reported to be on shaky ground as Indian teams returned disappointing performances from the ongoing World Cup.
Barely two years after the HIL was re-launched, organizers are contending with multiple threats to the tournament’s viability, sources told The Hindu. More than one existing franchise is said to be close to exiting, there are doubts over the women’s competition, and only a small number of foreign players have shown interest in returning. Kalinga Lancers are identified in the report as the defending champions.
Federation sources said changes last season included the Ranchi franchise replacing the Odisha team in the women’s competition and Gonasika joining among the men’s sides, and that Shrachi Tigers, owners of the Bengal franchises in both the men’s and women’s competitions, are seeking investors to offload or exit.
Earlier this year the owners of Ranchi Royals wrote to the HIL Governing Council seeking clarity on their continuation, on transparency in commercial terms and on a promised sponsorship of ₹10 crore from the Jharkhand government that they say was not received. The Ranchi franchise has since been terminated over non-payment issues, and Hockey India cleared outstanding dues from the franchise’s share of revenue, the report says.
On the women’s tournament, sources told The Hindu that only JSW Sports and APL Apollo, owners of Delhi SG Pipers, have verbally agreed to continue after considering an exit, and that negotiations for a Bangalore-based team are in advanced stages. “The women’s league will happen, and with four teams only. The modalities are still being worked out but there is no question of discontinuing it,” a source in the know insisted.
Hockey India officials warned the men’s competition is likely to feature fewer teams than the eight that competed in the first two editions, with potential changes of ownership or franchise city and the number of teams “perhaps five or six at the most.” The league has experienced persistent problems: Gonasika was roped in as the eight men’s team on the day of the Player Auction in 2024, Ranchi’s original women’s team was accused of non-payment by several foreign players, and Shrachi cleared its dues for the 2025 season only towards the end of June. Payment uncertainty and limited foreign-player interest prompted Hockey India to extend its initial registration deadline from July 24 to August 31.
Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey held several rounds of meetings with franchise owners including Parth Jindal of JSW and Sanjay Gupta of APL Apollo, with prospective sponsors and with representatives of the Tata Group in the past month across the country as part of efforts to salvage the league. The report adds that the HIL situation led Tirkey to cancel his own travel for the World Cup and to deny official permission to HI Director General Cdr. RK Srivastava, convenor of the HIL Governing Committee, for the same, a decision that was disregarded.
Hockey India has extended the initial player-registration deadline to August 31 while officials continue talks with owners and potential investors to determine the number and ownership of teams for the next edition; the men’s competition is expected to be reduced and the women’s tournament planned to proceed with four teams as the governing body works out modalities.
