NEW DELHI: India’s women hockey players have made an emotional appeal to save the Women’s Hockey India League (HIL), insisting that the competition has played a crucial role in building the confidence of a young side that is on the brink of its best-ever World Cup finish since 1974.With 11 World Cup debutants in the squad, India have suffered only one defeat against Olympic champions the Netherlands and held Olympic silver medallists China to a 2-2 draw in their opening match. A goalless draw against Australia ended their hopes of reaching the semifinals, but India will now play for fifth and sixth place — a finish that would still be their best at the World Cup in 52 years.The players believe the Women’s HIL has been central to their progress and fear its discontinuation could damage the pathway for the next generation.
‘HIL has benefited us a lot’
Veteran midfielder Neha, who led Odisha Warriors to the inaugural HIL title in the 2024-25 season, stressed the importance of the league in giving young players access to a higher level of competition.“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,” Neha 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.”
Salima Tete highlights talent pathway
Captain Salima Tete also underlined how the league has helped widen India’s talent pool and given emerging players a route into the national setup.“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.”
‘HIL has given me confidence’
Sakshi Rana, another player who has benefited from the league, said the experience of playing alongside established international stars helped her handle pressure on the biggest stage.“HIL has given me confidence, which was very useful in this tournament. It is about handling pressure. We have played alongside many veteran players like World Cup top scorer Yibbi Janssen and learnt a lot,” she said.Navneet Kaur said the league also helped younger players overcome the fear of facing established international stars.“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.”
Navneet urges corporate sector to step in
Navneet also urged franchises and corporate houses to step in as the women’s league faces financial uncertainty.“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.“I request the Sports Ministry and Hockey India to save this league. I also request the corporate sector, which invests huge money in cricket, to support women’s hockey.“Our league does not require that much money. It is not about money, we need exposure. Women’s Hockey League should survive. We will do even better in the future,” added Navneet, who was player of the tournament last season with the Delhi team.
Financial challenges threaten women’s HIL
The appeal comes as the revived women’s HIL grapples with high operating costs, low broadcast and ticket revenues, delayed player payments and limited sponsorship interest. Franchise sources said the league is currently not commercially viable, with the cost of running both a men’s and women’s HIL team estimated at around Rs 10-12 crore, including an administrative fee of around Rs 1 crore. The women’s franchise fee of Rs 2.5 crore, however, has been removed for the third season.
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