Big days for Indian hockey are coming up off the field, with the Hockey India League player auction set to take place from October 13 in New Delhi. The HIL is back after a gap of seven years and is expected to be a big-scale enterprise.
A sizeable number of players, including global stars in both men's and women's hockey, will go under hammer with the men's auction being on 13th and 14th and women's on 15th at the Hyatt Regency.
India internationals like Harmanpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Amit Rohidas, Salima Tete, Savita Punia, Vandana Katariya will be the big names that can fetch a high price.
Here's all you need to know about the three-day auction process:
What are the categories for the auction?
The players are divided into three base price categories - Rs 2 lakh, Rs 5 lakh, and Rs 10 lakh. This is based on the value they have selected for themselves.
What is total purse?
The purse for the men's teams is Rs 4 crore and for women's teams is Rs 2 crore.
How many players have registered from each country?
The list of players feature over 400 domestic men's players, over 150 overseas men's players, over 250 domestic women's players and over 70 overseas women's players.
As per ESPN India's understanding, here's the rough breakdown of the players in the men's auction:
India - 488
Argentina - 23
Australia - 24
Belgium - 15
France - 11
England -18
Germany - 12
Ireland - 5
Italy - 1
Japan - 8
Netherlands -14
New Zealand - 8
Scotland - 1
South Africa - 11
Spain - 17
Who are the teams?
The men's teams are Chennai (owners: Charles Group), Lucknow (Yadu Sports), Delhi (SG Sports and Entertainment), Kolkata (Shrachi Group), Odisha (Vedanta), Hyderabad (Resolute Sports), Ranchi (Team Gonasika, based in Visakhapatnam) and Punjab (JSW Sports).
The women's teams will represent Delhi (SG Sports), Kolkata (Shrachi Group), Odisha (Navoyam) and Haryana (JSW Sports). Two more women's team owners are yet to be confirmed.
Who are the biggest foreign players to watch out for?
Blake Govers, Jeremy Hayward (Australia), Mats Grambusch (Germany), Thierry Brinkman, Jip Janssen (Netherlands), Arthur van Doren, Alexander Hendrickx (Belgium), Gonzalo Peillat (Germany) and Dayaan Cassiem (South Africa) are some of the global stars who will feature in the men's auction. Among women, Delfina Merino (Argentia), Charlotte Stapenhorst (Germany), Maria Granatto (Argentina), Rachael Lynch (Australia), and Nike Lorenz (Germany) are set to be part of the bidding.
Who are the surprise names included in the auction?
The likes of SV Sunil, Rupinder Pal Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Birendra Lakra and Nikkin Thimmaiah are among the Indian players that have either retired or not played international hockey for some time now but have registered for the auction.
What is the squad composition?
Each team should have 24 players, which will include 16 Indians and 8 foreigners. The 16 Indians must include a minimum of four junior players (age 21 and below).
Where will the auction be shown?
The auction will be broadcast LIVE on DD Sports, and also on the HIL's YouTube channel.
The October 13 auction will begin at 2:30 PM. October 14 and 15 auctions will start at 10 AM onwards.
What are the key dates and venues for HIL?
The HIL 2024-25 will officially start on December 28, 2024, with an opening ceremony in Rourkela, Odisha.
Matches will be held across two venues -- Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi and Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, both of which will host men's and women's games in the HIL.
The women's league final will be held on 26th January 2025 in Ranchi, and the men's final is scheduled for 1st February 2025 in Rourkela.