HIL 2025-26 season preview: New teams, old questions and a crucial chapter for Indian Hockey
A new schedule, new teams and new owners: the second edition of the revived Hockey India League (HIL) will have all of this and more when it finally gets underway on January 3 (December 28 for the women). It marks the beginning of what is expected to be a long, hectic and crucial year in the overall scheme of things for Indian hockey.
It has been an unusually long break for the men’s national team, which has not played at full strength in a major competition since clinching the Asia Cup and a World Cup spot in Rajgir in September.
The few international outings since then, an India A tour of China, the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and a short trip to South Africa, have been more experimental than competitive, testing youngsters and new combinations with an eye on 2026, when the World Cup and the Asian Games will take centre stage.
That process will continue at the HIL, with coach Craig Fulton keeping a close watch not only on his core group but also on the juniors who finished with bronze at the Junior World Cup recently and are expected to step up to the senior level sooner rather than later.
The build-up, however, has been anything but smooth.
While it was always understood that Team Gonasika had stepped in as the eighth men’s team last year as a stop-gap arrangement, the withdrawal of the Singhania-backed UP Rudras and Odisha Warriors from the women’s competition just before the mini-auction earlier this year was a major setback. It raised questions over the financial viability and stability of the league.
Ranchi Royals replaced the Odisha teams, while Hockey India had to step in and take charge of the UP side, rechristening it as the HIL Governing Council team.
Even among the remaining franchises, several raised economic concerns and struggled to clear player dues in 2025, including men’s champion Shrachi Bengal Tigers, with the federation eventually using prize money to settle payments.
Indian women’s hockey, meanwhile, has endured a difficult few weeks, and it remains to be seen how players return to action after everything that has unfolded off the field.
Like the men, the women’s team has not played competitively since the Asia Cup in September, but there has been no shortage of developments away from the pitch. The defending champion Odisha Warriors no longer exists. The spotlight will be firmly on the newly inducted Ranchi side, which has junior India women’s coach Tushar Khandker and senior team’s former coach Harendra Singh leading its men’s and women’s teams respectively. With both under scrutiny, it remains to be seen whether the franchise persists with them and how any changes might affect players, particularly the women.
Uncertainty over the availability of several European players also continues, with their team managements insisting on prioritising the World Cup and the Pro League. Amid all this, the federation will be hoping the focus shifts decisively back to the turf once the league begins.
The teams would be hoping for the same. Unlike last year, most franchises and Hockey India itself began public outreach and marketing initiatives well in advance, especially on social media, to generate interest.
The decision to move the men’s event from a single venue in Rourkela to three cities, Chennai, Ranchi and Bhubaneswar, is also expected to combat the fatigue and monotony players complained of last year, while widening the league’s reach.
The mini-auction in September helped teams refine their compositions and strategies. Players were traded, and the reduced squad size, from 24 to 20, allowed franchises to spend slightly more on individuals. Across both men’s and women’s teams, juniors took centre stage, Indian and overseas alike, with franchises focusing on retaining domestic talent while investing heavily in new foreign signings.
There were comebacks too, such as Monika, who went unsold last year but emerged as the most expensive buy this time.
The HIL, too, will be hoping for an equally impressive comeback, both for its own future and for Indian hockey’s larger cause.
SQUADS (Captain’s name in bold letters)
Women
SG Pipers: Cristina Cosentino (Argentina), Bansari Solanki, Udita, Jyoti Singh, Lola Riera (Spain), Costa Biondi Valentina Isabel (Argentina), Manisha, Suman Devi Thoudam, Shilpi Dabas, Sunelita Toppo, Kaitlin Nobbs (Australia), Juana Castellaro (Argentina), Ishika, Khaidem Shileima Chanu, Navneet Kaur, Deepika, Sharmila Devi, Preeti Dubey, Maria Teresa Vianaache (Uruguay), Priscilla Jardel Mateos (Argentina)
Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers: Jennifer Rizzo (USA), Aditi Maheshwari, Agustina Gorzelany (Argentina), Valentina Raposo (Argentina), Gurjit Kaur, Puja Sahoo, Mahima Choudhary, Monika, Manisha Chauhan, Noor de Baat (Netherlands) , Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Emma Findlay (New Zealand), Purnima Yadav, Sukhveer Kaur, Anjali Gautam, Victoria Manuele (Argentina), Sosha Benninga (Netherlands), Lalrinpuii, Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya
JSW Soorma Hockey Club: Savita, Nidhi, Jyoti, Jyoti Chhatri, Penny Squibb (Australia), Shihori Oikawa (Japan), Salima Tete, Ajmina Kujur, Hina Bano, Nisha, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, Baljeet Kaur, Binima Dhan, Sarah Robertson (Great Britain), Jimena Maria Cedres (Argentina), Vilar Del Valle Dupuy (Uruguay), Sonam, Mumtaz Khan, Olivia Shannon (New Zealand), Maria Jose Granatto (Argentina)
Ranchi Royals: Bichu Devi Kharibam, Madhuri Kindo, Ishika Chaudhary, Nikki Pradhan, Lalthantluangi, Maria Sofia Darnay Elias (Argentina), Lucina von der Heyde (Argentina), Sabine Plönissen (Netherlands), Neha Goyal, Nandni, Maria Paula Ortiz (Argentina), Agostina Alonso (Argentina), Albela Rani Toppo, Rutaja Dadaso Pisal, Deepika Soreng, Beauty Dung Dung, Sangita Kumari, Sakshi Rana, Agustina Albertario (Argentina), Hannah Cotter (New Zealand).
Men
Accord Tamil Nadu Dragons: David Harte (Ireland), Prince Deep Singh, Anand Lakra, Pruthvi G M, Sander de Wijn (Netherlands), Amit Rohidas, Mohammed Raheel Mouseen, Chandan Yadav, Tom Craig (Australia), Blake Govers (Australia), Paul Kaufmann (Germany), Thomas Sorsby (Great Britain), Shesha Gowda, Arun J, Sushil Dhanwar, Adrohit Ekka, Selvaraj Kanagaraj, Selvam Karthi, Nathan Ephraums (Australia), Uttam Singh
Hyderabad Toofans: Jean Paul Danneberg (Germany), Bikramjit Singh, Mukul Sharma, Amandeep Lakra, Devindar Walmiki, Arthur de Sloover (Netherlands), Sundram Singh Rajawat, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit Walmiki, Zachary Wallace (Great Britain), Rajinder Singh, Michel Struthoff (Germany), Nic Woods (Australia), Rahim Aakib Sayyed, Tim Brand (Australia), Shilanand Lakra, Irengbam Rohit Singh, Talwinder Singh, Jacob Anderson (Australia), Arshdeep Singh
JSW Soorma Hockey Club: Vincent Vanasch (Belgium), Mohith H.S., Gurinder Singh, Pradip Mandal, Nicolas Della Torre (Argentina), Jeremy Hayward (Australia), Sukhvinder, Harmanpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Jeet Pal, Victor Wegnez (Belgium), Prabhjot Singh, Harjeet Singh, Nicolas Poncelet (Belgium), Akashdeep Singh, Nicolas Keenan (Argentina), Dayaan Cassiem (South Africa), Pawan Rajbhar, Maninder Singh, Gurjant Singh
Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers: Vivek Lakra, James Carr (New Zealand), Tommy Willems (Belgium), Gauthier Boccard (Belgium), Parmod, Enrique Gonzalez De Castejon (Spain), Jugraj Singh, Christopher Ruhr (Germany), Tom Grambusch (Germany), Sean Findlay (New Zealand), Jaskaran Singh, Affan Yousuf, Pradhan Poovanna Chandura, Atul Deep, Pardeep Singh Sandhu, Ajinkya Jadhav, Ketan Kushwaha, Gursewak Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Abhishek
Vedanta Kalinga Lancers: Jed Snowden (Australia), Krishan B Pathak, Sunil PB, Antoine Kina (Belgium), Pratap Lakra, Arthur Van Doren (Belgium), Rohit Kullu, Alexander Hendrickx (Belgium), Sanjay, Craig Marais (Australia), Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem, Amit Kumar Toppo, Liam Henderson (Australia), Rosan Kujur, Gursahibjit Singh, Cooper Burns (Australia), Angad Bir Singh, Deepak Pradhan, Dilpreet Singh, Boby Singh Dhami
Ranchi Royals: Rajak Pankaj Kumar, Suraj Karkera, Joshua Beltz (Australia), Van Oots Maxime (Belgium), Purti Ashish Tani, Ravneet Singh, Tim Howard (Australia), Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Anmol Ekka, Amir Ali, Jack Waller (Great Britain), Vishnukant Singh, Yashdeep Siwach, Manpreet Singh, Manmeet Singh Rai, Mustaphaa Cassiem (South Africa), Tom Boon (Belgium), Sam Lane (New Zealand), Araijeet Singh Hundal, Mandeep Singh
SG Pipers: Tomas Santiago (Argentina), Pawan, Bram Van Battum (Netherlands), Rupinder Pal Singh, Varun Kumar, Gareth Furlong (Great Britain), Manjeet, Rohit, Jarmanpreet Singh, Ankit Pal, Willott KY (Australia), Jacob Draper (Great Britain), Raj Kumar Pal, Thokchom Kingson Singh, Shamsher Singh, Tomas Domene (Argentina), Roman Duvekot (Belgium), Aditya Lalage, Dilraj Singh, Sourabh Anand Khushwaha
HIL Governing Council: James Mazarelo (Great Britain), Prashant Kumar Chauhan, James Albery (Great Britain), Jasjit Singh Kular, Mohammad Haris, Surender Kumar, Kane Russell (New Zealand), Prasant Barla, Talem Priyobarta, Hardik Singh, Manmeet Singh, Rahul Yadav, Daragh Walsh (Ireland), Simon Yorston (New Zealand), Ajeet Yadav, Sudeep Chirmako, Sam Ward (Great Britain), Tanguy Cosyns (Belgium), Gurjot Singh, Lalit Upadhyay