Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has constituted a seven-member committee to revive the financially strained Hockey India League (HIL) and rework its governance, financial model and overall structure. The panel brings together the Sports Ministry, the national federation Hockey India, and the league’s franchise owners on a single platform. It was created weeks after several franchises threatened to pull out, casting doubt over the league’s upcoming season.
Why Has the Sports Ministry Formed an HIL Revival Committee?
The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports constituted the seven-member committee on 7 October 2026 to restore the financial health and credibility of the Hockey India League. The committee’s core job is to recommend a workable governance model, a sustainable financial model and a clearer league structure, and to submit its report to the ministry within a fixed timeline.
The decision followed a meeting that Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya held with Hockey India officials and franchise representatives in September 2026. In that meeting, the minister was briefed on the mounting concerns around the league and directed stakeholders to treat governance, finance and structure as priority areas. A smaller five-member panel was first proposed; the latest order formally expanded it into a seven-member committee with direct government representation.
The Seven Members of the Committee
The panel draws its members from the Sports Ministry, Hockey India and the franchises, giving every major stakeholder a seat at the table.
| Member | Role in the Committee |
|---|---|
| Vineel Krishna | Joint Secretary (Khelo India), Sports Ministry |
| Dilip Tirkey | President, Hockey India |
| Bhola Nath Singh | Secretary General, Hockey India |
| Sekar J Manoharan | Treasurer, Hockey India |
| Alok Sanghi | Franchise representative |
| Mahesh Bhupathi | Franchise representative |
| Divyanshu Singh | Franchise representative |
The inclusion of three franchise owners is significant because team owners had demanded a formal say in how the league is run. Franchises had argued that they carry the bulk of the financial risk while having little control over key commercial decisions. The committee has been asked to present its findings in a time-bound manner, leaving the door open to a new governing council for the HIL.
What Is the Hockey India League?
The Hockey India League (HIL) is a professional field hockey league organised by Hockey India, the sport’s national governing body. Modelled on franchise-based leagues such as the Indian Premier League, it brings together Indian and international players in city-based teams, with a player auction, a league phase and knockout finals.
Hockey India, established on 20 May 2009 and headquartered in New Delhi, is the apex body for men’s and women’s field hockey in India. It is affiliated to the International Hockey Federation (FIH), the Indian Olympic Association and the Asian Hockey Federation. The HIL is the federation’s flagship domestic competition.
The league’s first season was held in 2013, with the Ranchi Rhinos lifting the title. It ran for five seasons until 2017, when it was suspended because of rising costs and weak broadcast revenue. The competition returned only in the 2024-25 season, seven years later, in a revamped avatar, and its third edition after the relaunch is now under a cloud.
Format, Teams and Venues
The relaunched league introduced a standalone women’s competition for the first time. The 2024-25 season featured eight men’s teams and four women’s teams, with owners including major corporate groups such as JSW, Vedanta and JK Cement. Each franchise builds a squad of about 24 players, including Indian juniors and international stars.
| Season | Men’s Champion | Women’s Champion |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Ranchi Rhinos | Not held |
| 2014 | Delhi Waveriders | Not held |
| 2015 | Ranchi Rays | Not held |
| 2016 | Punjab Warriors | Not held |
| 2017 | Kalinga Lancers | Not held |
| 2024-25 | Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers | Odisha Warriors |
| 2025-26 | Vedanta Kalinga Lancers | SG Pipers |
Matches in the revived league have been played at a small set of venues, chiefly the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela (Odisha), the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar and the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi (Jharkhand). The Rourkela stadium, recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest fully-seated hockey stadium, is a key asset for the league.
Why Is the Hockey India League in Financial Distress?
The HIL’s central problem is simple: the cost of running a franchise is far higher than the money it earns. Broadcasting and ticketing revenue has stayed low because hockey, unlike cricket, does not pull large television audiences or attract big sponsorship deals. Owners say they have been absorbing losses season after season with little hope of breaking even.
The league was relaunched on the promise of a shared central revenue pool from title sponsorship and broadcast rights, distributed among franchises. That model has not generated enough to cover the high operating costs of a home-and-away style competition. Rising player salaries at the auction have added further pressure on team budgets.
Franchise Costs and Withdrawals
Running a single franchise that fields both a men’s and a women’s team is estimated to cost around ₹10 crore to ₹12 crore a season, including an administrative charge of about ₹1 crore. Against this, several teams have found the returns inadequate. The UP Rudras exited the league in 2025, citing financial sustainability, and more franchises have since been weighing an exit.
Only a handful of teams, including the APL Pipers, Vedanta Kalinga Lancers and Hyderabad Toofans, were firmly on board for the next edition. A temporary side run by the HIL Governing Council had been filling one slot, but league officials concede that such an arrangement cannot be a permanent fix. To ease the burden, Hockey India has waived the franchise fee for the women’s team for the third season.
The Crisis in the Women’s Hockey India League
The women’s competition, introduced in the 2024-25 season with four teams, faces an even sharper challenge. Its revenues are smaller, and player payments have at times been delayed. Former India captain Savita Punia and current captain Salima Tete publicly appealed to the government and corporate sponsors to save the Women’s Hockey India League.
Their appeal came right after India finished fifth at the Women’s Hockey World Cup 2026, the country’s best result in 52 years. Players noted that a number of current internationals came through the women’s HIL, making the league a direct pipeline for the national team. For them, the league is less a business and more the platform that produces future Olympic and World Cup talent.
Analogy · The Pipeline and the Tap Expand analogy
Think of the women’s HIL as the pipeline that carries young hockey talent from the grassroots to the national team. The World Cup result showed the water flowing strongly at the end of the pipe. Shutting the league would be like turning off the tap, and the shortage would only show up years later when the next generation of players never arrives.
Hockey India League vs FIH Hockey Pro League
The two competitions are often confused because both involve top hockey stars, but they operate at completely different levels. The FIH Hockey Pro League, launched in 2019, is an international tournament between national teams such as India, the Netherlands and Australia. The HIL, by contrast, is a domestic club league in which franchises made up of Indian and foreign players compete within India.
| Feature | Hockey India League | FIH Hockey Pro League |
|---|---|---|
| Organiser | Hockey India | International Hockey Federation |
| Since | 2013 (relaunched 2024) | 2019 |
| Teams | City-based franchises | National teams |
| Purpose | Develop domestic talent and a professional league | Determine top international sides through regular competition |
| India’s role | Host country with franchises | Participating national team |
For India, the two serve complementary purposes. The Pro League gives the national team regular high-quality matches abroad and at home, while the HIL is meant to give Indian players, especially juniors, a competitive environment close to international standards. That is why the health of the HIL matters for the national team’s long-term performance.
Khelo India and India’s Broader Sports Push
The HIL revival sits within a larger government effort to build a full sporting ecosystem. Khelo India, launched in 2016-17, is the Centre’s flagship scheme for grassroots sports development under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. It identifies young talent, funds training centres and supports athletes with coaching, equipment and monthly allowances.
The scheme has been scaled up sharply. The Union Cabinet has approved a revamped Khelo India Scheme for 2026-27 to 2030-31, with a combined outlay of ₹36,441 crore along with enhanced assistance to National Sports Federations. This is nearly eight times the earlier allocation and forms part of the government’s push to host and compete strongly at events such as the 2030 Commonwealth Games and a future Olympic Games.
Within this framework, professional leagues like the HIL are seen as the top of the pyramid. Khelo India and the Sports Authority of India feed talent into the system from the school and district level, while national teams and franchise leagues provide the elite platform where that talent is tested. A financial crisis in the HIL therefore threatens not just a tournament but one of the few professional rungs in Indian hockey.
The Way Forward
The committee’s report will decide whether the HIL can be stabilised before its next season. Franchise owners have pushed for a new governance arrangement, including an independent governing council and a joint-venture structure in which they hold a formal equity stake. Any such change would shift the league away from the current model, where Hockey India controls the competition and the franchises carry most of the risk.
The backdrop makes the task harder. Hockey India is dealing with an internal dispute between its president, Dilip Tirkey, and secretary general Bhola Nath Singh over administrative decisions, including a controversy over the national team’s jersey colour. A federation divided at the top is unlikely to resolve the league’s financial troubles smoothly.
How the government responds will send a signal about its approach to professional sports beyond cricket. If the HIL is restructured with a viable revenue-sharing formula and stronger corporate backing, it could secure a lasting domestic platform for hockey. If the financial model is not fixed, the league risks another long pause, exactly the outcome its players and administrators are trying to avoid.
Key Takeaways
- The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports constituted a seven-member committee on 7 October 2026 to revive the financially strained Hockey India League (HIL).
- The committee includes Sports Ministry Joint Secretary (Khelo India) Vineel Krishna, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey, Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh, Treasurer Sekar J Manoharan and three franchise representatives.
- The HIL is a professional field hockey league run by Hockey India, which was established on 20 May 2009 and is headquartered in New Delhi.
- The HIL’s first season was held in 2013, it ran for five seasons until 2017, and it was relaunched in the 2024-25 season after a seven-year gap, adding a standalone women’s competition.
- Running a combined men’s and women’s HIL franchise costs an estimated ₹10 crore to ₹12 crore a season, a key reason for franchise withdrawals such as that of the UP Rudras.
- The revived league’s matches are played mainly at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, recognised as the world’s largest fully-seated hockey stadium, along with venues in Bhubaneswar and Ranchi.
