The Hockey India League (HIL) mini auction will be held on September 24 at the Hockey India office in New Delhi.
The teams have concluded their trades and retentions before September 9 – trading window deadline – and will operate within their allocated purse of Rs. 4 crore and Rs. 2 crore for the men’s and women’s leagues, respectively.
Teams will use the auction to plug the holes in their squad of 20, which has been reduced from 24. The maximum of seven foreigners per team – cut by one from 2025 – will also help increase the auction purse.
The auction process will be accelerated in nature with teams putting forward a list of names who will be called up for bidding.
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Ranchi Royal Tuskers will be the new team in the men’s and women’s leagues, confirmed Bhola Nath Singh, secretary general Hockey India.
The new franchise has absorbed the operations from Team Gonasika and Odisha Warriors, respectively, who pulled out after just one season.
The 2026 edition will begin in January with Chennai hosting the first leg. It will be a multi-city tournament with Bhubaneswar and Ranchi among the other host cities, while Rajgir is being touted as a potential fourth venue.
Rarh Bengal Tigers is the defending men’s champion, while Odisha Warriors won the women’s league.
Published on Sep 19, 2025
