The Hockey India League (HIL) has a penchant for throwing up surprises and the theme continued on Wednesday when the auction took place for the 2026 edition with over 100 men and women players up for grabs.
Australian pair Liam Henderson and Cooper Burns, who were both included in Mark Hager’s men’s squad for this year for the first time, were snapped up by Vedanta Kalinga Lancers for around £35,000 and £28,000 respectively after beating off SG Pipers. A nice payday.
READ MORE: Full teams for HIL men and women franchises
The Lancers are now coached by Australian Jay Stacy, who also picked up Aussie keeper Jed Snowden for a base price (circa £8,000) and Craig Marais.
Dutch defender Sander de Wijn triggered a fierce bidding war between SG Pipers and Tamil Nadu Dragons, before Dragons closed the deal at £30,000. Thies Prinz went for the same price to the new owners of UP Rudras, Hockey India’s governing council.
Meanwhile, 14-year-old Ketan Kushwaha was picked up by Shranchi Bengal Tigers for a base price of circa £1,600.
Martin Zwicker, Dylan Wotherspoon, Liam Sanford, Struan Walker, Lee Morton and James Gall initially went unsold. Jake Whetton also found no takers despite being a star turn in the last edition.
Argentinian Agustina Gorzelany emerged as the most expensive women’s player, picked by Bengal Tigers for £35,000. The likes of Valentina Raposo, Maria Granatto were also in demand.
Granatto was picked up by Delhi SG Pipers for £28,400, after overcoming competition from JSW Soorma Hockey Club and Ranchi Royals.
Unsold in last season’s auction, Monika produced a remarkable turnaround as she became the costliest Indian player of the auction, bought by Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers for £12,500 after an intense bidding battle with Delhi SG Pipers.
Players who weren’t picked up could yet find their way to a franchise should teams have enough left in their pot.
The league is set to recommence in late December. The venues have yet to be confirmed but Bhubaneswar and Hyderabad have been mooted alongside Ranchi.
What else has happened in HIL?
UP Rudras became the third team to withdraw from the 2026 season, two days before the auction, after citing financial sustainability concerns.
The HIL governing council announced that it had taken over operations of the franchise and hope a new owner can come forward.
“This was not an easy call. We value what the league has brought to Indian hockey, but sustainability challenges made continuation untenable,” said Cedric D’Souza, UP Rudras’ team director.
The Indian Express has reported that HIL officials have since waived franchise fees for the first three editions of the revamped league, primarily to ease financial constraints.
Teams exit and enter after year one
Team Gonasika men and Odisha Warriors women had earlier pulled out of the league citing “personal reasons”. The Warriors had won the first edition of the revamped HIL last season. However, The Hockey Paper understands that players have had “significant problems” with the franchise owners.
Ranchi Royals have also purchased a team each in the men’s and women’s leagues as new franchise owners. HIL women will remain as a four-strong league.
Nations omit players
Netherlands have not released their senior players due to a home World Cup. In the women’s league, China did not put forward any of its stars. It had been reported that Germany and English players would not take part, but some stars have been retained by their franchises.
