Hockey India League Player Auction Highlights: Harmanpreet, Hardik Singh most expensive players on Day 1

Hello and welcome to Khel Now’s LIVE COVERAGE of the Day 1 of Hockey India League player auction. Please wait for the blog to load.

After seven years, the Hockey India League is returning, in a grander fashion. The league was first established in 2013 before being discontinued in 2017. It returns this time as a bigger tournament with more teams, players and also the women’s competition, which is being introduced for the first time.

There will be eight teams in the men’s league and six in the women’s tournament respectively. So far only four women’s teams have been announced, with two more teams expected to be announced soon. The league will begin from December 28 later this year with both the men and women’s tournament to run parallelly.

Before the on-field action begins though, there will be the player auction from October 13-15 in New Delhi. The men’s auction will take place on 13th and 14th while the women’s auction will be held on 15th October at the Hyatt Regency. The biggest stars in international hockey, including Indian players Harmanpreet Singh, Hardik Singh, Salima Tete, Savita Punia and Vandana Katariya will be part of the auction.

Who are the teams participating in Hockey India League player auction?

There will be eight men’s teams and six in the women’s division.

Men’s Teams: Delhi SG Pipers, Hyderabad Toofans, UP Rudras, Kalinga Lancers, Rarh Bengal Tigers, Team Gonasika, Soorma Hockey Club, Team Chennai

Women’s Teams: Delhi SG Pipers, Rarh Bengal Tigers, Team Odisha, Team Haryana. Two more women’s teams are yet to be confirmed. More details here

How many players will go under the hammer at Hockey India League player auction?

Over 1,000 players have registered for the HIL player auction. There are approx. 400 Indian male players, 250 Indian women’s players, 150 male foreign players and 70 women’s foreign players. A good mix of both experienced and young guns have registered for the auction.

Will foreign players be part of the player auction?

Yes, over 220 foreign players have registered for the player auction. Out of 220, 150 are male players while 70 are female players. Big names like Arthur van Doren (Belgium), Alexander Hendrickx (Belgium), Gonzalo Peillat (Germany), Jip Janssen (Netherlands), Thierry Brinkman (Netherlands), and Dayaan Cassiem (South Africa) have registered for the player auction.

Delfina Merino (Argentina), Charlotte Stapenhorst (Germany), Nike Lorenz (Germany) Maria Granatto (Argentina) and Rachael Lynch (Australia) and are some big female international stars who will be available in the auction.

What are the price slabs?

Players have been divided into three price slabs, based on the value which they have selected for themselves.

The three price slabs are as follows:

INR 2 Lakhs (Over 600 players)

INR 5 Lakhs (Over 250 players)

INR 10 Lakhs (Over 250 players)

What is total purse of each team?

The men’s teams have a purse of Rs 4 crore while the purse for the women’s teams is Rs 2 crore at the player auction.Which players are expected to attract high bids in the upcoming player auction?

Which players are expected to attract high bids in the upcoming player auction?

The Indian men’s hockey team captain and drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh is expected to grab the highest bid in this player auction. Harmanpreet is the backbone of the Indian team and is a penalty corner specialist. With the kind of experience, he can provide it’s a no-brainer that all teams will go for a bidding war for Harman.

Apart from him, the other Indian players who can attract high bids will be the current Indian goalkeeper Krishan Pathak, who has done well in the last pro league season. Former India skipper Manpreet Singh will also attract high bids. India’s first rusher Amit Rohidas, and vice-captain Hardik Singh are all expected to go big.

In the women’s auction, Savita Punia can attract the highest bid. The other possible names that can also attract a bidding war among Indian players are Salima Tete, Vandana Kataraiya, Neha, and Lalremsiami.

Coming to the foreign players, one can expect Belgian drag flicker Alexender Hendrickx to go for a high price. Even German drag-flicker Gonzalo Peillat and Australian forward Blake Govers can go for big bucks in the player auction. In the women’s auction, Delfina Merino, Charlotte Stapenhorst and Maria Granatto can attract top bids.

How many players can each franchise sign in Hockey India League player auction?

Teams can buy a maximum of 24 players, which must include 16 Indian and 8 foreign players. The Indian contingent must also compulsorily have four junior players (U21 or below). The playing XI combination is as follows:

Women — 6 Indians + 5 Foreigners

Men — 7 Indians + 4 Foreigners

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