The Hockey India League (HIL) men’s league will begin in January 2025, Hockey India secretary general Bhola Nath announced on the sidelines of the annual awards function.
The Men’s League will see eight teams competing in the tournament. The Women’s League, comprising six teams, will also be held in January 2025.
“There will be eight teams for men, six teams for women. We will announce the team names and player auctions after the Olympics. All the teams will have separate owners. We have got a five-week window from the FIH in the month of January. Matches for men and women will be played simultaneously,” said Bhola Nath.
The annual awards are being held in New Delhi, where veteran goalkeepers PR Sreejesh and Savita Punia found themselves in contention for the ‘Player of the Year’ honours in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively.
Sreejesh, Savita, Harmanpreet in contention for multiple honours at Hockey India awards
Sreejesh, a former captain, and Punia have been among the most consistent performers for India and have also been nominated for the goalkeeper of the year award.
India men’s team captain and defender Harmanpreet Singh has also been shortlisted in two categories. He is in contention for the player of the year as well as the defender of the year awards.
The player of the year award in both categories comes with a prize of Rs. 25 lakh each, while the goalkeeping trophy will fetch the winner Rs. five lakh.
From eight different categories, a total of 32 nominations have made the shortlist for a total prize purse of Rs 7.56 crore.
