HIL is the tonic that Indian hockey needs

The third edition of the ongoing Hockey India League could turn out to be just what the doctor ordered to speed up the recovery of Indian hockey.

The reasons are many. It features six teams with big names from abroad and also gives an opportunity to domestic players to understand where they stand when compared to some of the greats from across the world.

With STAR Sports being the official broadcaster, the league’s popularity is on the upswing because of the live coverage among other things.

Against this backdrop, the HIL, according to triple Olympian Mukesh Kumar, is the best thing to have happened to Indian hockey. “From my own experience of playing in German and Malaysian Leagues, I can tell you it makes a big difference to your attitude and improvement of skills by watching the way the greats train. Sharing thoughts with them and clarifying your doubts is an added bonus,” he says.

The HIL, which facilitates 10 foreign and 14 Indian players in each of the 24-member squads, has many novelties. Even in a playing eleven, it is not just that five foreign players are allowed but it is mandatory for each team to have two under-19 players playing for at least for 20 minutes in the four-quarter contests.

Mukesh feels that the youngsters who get a chance should make the most of their opportunity. “The onus is on them to keep improving for this will help them to become better players and also make some financial gains,” he says.

There is huge corporate support to the League with Hero Honda being the title-sponsor and many associate sponsors lined up even in buying the franchisees. But the one point of debate concerns spreading the activity and not confining the league to only to the cities which own the teams.

“It is imperative to spread the game across India and that is why I feel HIL should spread out to the south where there is abundance of talent,” says Aloysius Edwards, the Indian goalkeeper at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Edwards also makes an interesting observation when he says that with no big National events lined up, HIL continues to be the biggest stage for Indian players to showcase their skills. “Here the fringe players, those eyeing spots in Indian team, have the chance to exhibit their skill and realise their big dreams,” he says.

Both Mukesh and Edawards state that it was the HIL which kept Indian hockey alive when it was going through a bad phase and helped India to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

“The best of Indian hockey is there in the HIL with the best players from abroad. Imagine the kind of positives an youngster can gain by talking to a legend like Jamie Dwyer or to three-time FIH player of the year award winner Dutch star Teun de Nooijer (also the highest paid HIL player),” says Edwards.