Hockey India is still awaiting a window for the Hockey India League (HIL) to be approved by the international governing body FIH.
As per former India captain and Hockey India (HI) President Dilip Tirkey, the defunct HIL will again take place either in December 2024 or January 2025.
HIL was a popular tournament that brought international stars to play in the country while also helping young Indian players to hone their skills further. It ran from 2013 for five editions till 2017.
Hockey India had already announced a commercial partner, tasked with finalising franchises. But the final steps are still incumbent on getting FIH to provide a window of a month and a half to avoid clashes in the international calendar.
“When the FIH approves the window, we will let everyone know. We have an agency on board, eight teams for men and four teams for women. The league is important for Indian hockey, especially for youngsters to play with big international stars,” said Tirkey.
“We are really excited about having the women’s HIL. So, the wait is to get a window for the world’s best players to come here. FIH is looking at options, either December 2024 or January 2025,” he added.