Hockey India League Auction 2025-26: List of all men's players retained and released

Players’ auction will be held on September 24.

The Hockey India League (HIL) is making significant changes for the 2026 season, following the success of the previous edition. Following a seven-year hiatus, the league’s return in 2025 drew over 32.9 million viewers to the men’s tournament.

The upcoming season will feature a mini auction in late September 2025 to re-form squads, with the tournament beginning in January 2026.

The league will see significant team changes as two franchises have pulled out and a new one has joined. Team Gonasika, and UP Rudras have both withdrawn due to financial constraints. This is a significant development, as UP Rudras finished fifth in the 2025 season and had several high-profile players.

Ranchi Royal Tuskers, a new team, will make their debut, filling one of the vacancies.

Every bid needs a voice, and the Mini Auction has Arjun Pandit. 🎤🔥#herohil2026 | #hockeyindia | #jashnkanayaandaaz | #herohilminiauction pic.twitter.com/0iuSH6qYzj

— Hockey India League (@HockeyIndiaLeag) September 23, 2025

The teams that have officially announced their retentions and releases have been strategically trimming their rosters, which will be reduced from 24 to 20 this season.

This change, combined with the withdrawal of the two teams, has left a number of high-profile players available in the auction pool, including top Indian and international players.

List of all players retained and released ahead of Hockey India League 2025-26

Based on the official announcements from the teams and the confirmed withdrawals, here is the list of retained and released players for the upcoming season.

Delhi SG Pipers

Retained Players

• Goalkeepers: Tomas Santiago (Argentina), Pawan (India)
• Defenders: Jarmanpreet Singh (India), Varun Kumar (India), Rohit (India), Manjeet (India), Gareth Furlong (Wales)
• Midfielders: Shamsher Singh (India), Jacob Draper (Wales), Rajkumar Pal (India), Ankit Pal (India), Kingson Singh (India), Ky Willott (Australia)
• Forwards: Tomas Domene (Argentina), Aditya Lalage (India), Sourabh Anand Khushwaha (India), Dilraj Singh (India)

Released Players

• Goalkeepers: Adarsh (India), Ben Rennie (Australia)
• Defenders: Jugraj Singh (India), Joginder Singh (India)
• Midfielders: Jacob Whetton (Australia), Iktidar Ishrat (India), Koji Yamasaki (Japan)
• Forwards: Lucas Toscani (Argentina), Corey Weyer (Australia), Sumit Kumar (India)

Shrachi Bengal Tigers

Retained Players

• Goalkeeper: James Carr (Ireland)
• Defenders: Jugraj Singh (India), Gautier Boccard (Belgium), Hayden Beltz (Australia)
• Midfielders: Jaskaran Singh (India), Atuldeep (India), Poovanna CB (India), Affan Yousuf (India), Sean Findlay (New Zealand)
• Forwards: Abhishek (India), Bursewak Singh (India), Sukhjeet Singh (India), Pradeep Singh (India)

Released Players

• Goalkeepers: Pirmin Blaak (Netherlands), Ali Khan (India), Atal Dev Singh Chahal (India)
• Defenders: Rupinder Pal Singh (India), Jasjit Singh Kular (India)
• Midfielders: Lachlan Sharp (Australia), Pardeep Mor (India), Pradhan Chandura (India), Yogesh Malik Singh (India), Pardeep Singh Sandhu (India), Thounaojam Ingalemba Lauwang (India)
• Forwards: Florent Van Aubel (Belgium), Sam Lane (New Zealand)

JSW Soorma Hockey Club

Retained Players

• Goalkeepers: Vincent Vanasch (Belgium), Mohit HS (India)
• Defenders: Harmanpreet Singh (India), Jeremy Hayward (Australia), Sukhvinder Singh (India), Nicolas Dellatorre (Argentina)
• Midfielders: Pradip Mandal (India), Nicolas Poncelet (Belgium), Gurinder Singh (India), Victor Wegnez (Belgium), Harjeet Singh (India), Maninder Singh (India), Vivek Sagar Prasad (India)
• Forwards: Nicolas Keenan (Argentina), Dayaan Cassiem (South Africa), Gurjant Singh (India), Prabhjot Singh (India), Pawan Rajbhar (India)

Released Players

1. Goalkeepers: Jashandeep Singh (India)
2. Defenders: Ashu Maurya (India)
3. Midfielders: Ankush (India), Sunit Lakra (India)
4. Forwards: Harish Mutagar (India), Boris Burkhardt (Netherlands), Phil Roper (United Kingdom)

Tamil Nadu Dragons

Retained Players:

• Goalkeepers: David Harte (Ireland), Princedeep Singh (India)
• Defenders: Amit Rohidas (India), Moritz Ludwig (Germany), Anand Lakra (India), Pruthvi GM (India)
• Midfielders: Tom Craig (Australia), Mohd. Raheel (India), Sheshe Gowda (India), Chandan Yadav (India), Arun J (India)
• Forwards: Blake Govers (Australia), Nathan Ephraums (Australia), Karthi Selvam (India), Uttam Singh (India)

Released Players

• Goalkeepers: S. Senthamizh Arasu (India)
• Defenders: Jip Janssen (Netherlands), Kothajit Singh (India), Anand Y (India), Dhilipan M (India)
• Midfielders: Martin Zwicker (Germany), Tom Sorsby (United Kingdom)
• Forwards: Majji Ganesh (India), Abharan Sudev (India), Arun J (India)

The following teams have not yet made their official retention announcements.

• Hyderabad Toofans
• Vedanta Kalinga Lancers

Ranchi Royal Tuskers

As the newest franchise, this team will build its entire squad from the auction pool.

A number of top players are up for auction as a result of Team Gonasika and UP Rudras withdrawing. These consist of:

From UP Rudras: Lars Baulk of the Netherlands, England’s Sam Ward, Belgium’s Tanguy Cosyns, India vice-captain Hardik Singh, and former India forward Lalit Upadhyay.

Furthermore, a busy international calendar makes it unlikely that many elite European players, especially those from the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and England, will be released for the HIL, which will affect the pool of international talent available at the auction.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram