Along with some of her India teammates, Sushila Chanu would regularly make the 75km bus trip from the national camp in Patiala to Chandigarh to watch their male counterparts play in the Hockey India League (HIL) about a decade back.
Watching Sardar Singh and Akashdeep Singh play with legends like Jamie Dwyer, Mark Knowles and Moritz Furste, the former India captain would wish there was a women’s version too where they could share and learn from the best in the game.
The India defender’s wish will finally come true when the women’s HIL makes its debut on Sunday in Ranchi with the Delhi SG Pipers taking on Odisha Warriors at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Astro Turf Stadium. Bengal Tigers and Soorma Hockey Club — it is a four-team tournament — will play on Monday. It will kick off two years after another long wait ended in 2023 with the launch of the Women’s Premier League, 15 years after IPL started.
“We would often wish for our own league. We were a bit disappointed back then. But finally, our league is happening. We are very excited. It is a huge forward step for our girls,” said Sushila, who will play for Bengal Tigers.
“It’s quite amazing. We have a mix of Indian juniors, seniors and foreigners in the team. We will learn how foreign athletes do things like organize (strategy) quickly, face opposition, shoot on goal. We can learn from the best.”
The 15-day league phase will run until January 24 with the final slated for January 26. Each team will play the others twice with the top two facing off for the title. While 11 games will be played in Ranchi, two will be held at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium, Rourkela.
“When the men’s league started, we saw how the performance of our players improved playing with the top foreigners. We witnessed the changes which would often make us ask Hockey India (HI) about our own league,” said the seasoned India goalkeeper Savita Punia, the former national team skipper who will lead Soorma Hockey Club.
“It is a very good platform where you share your thoughts like what you do before a match, see each other’s behaviors in training and improve. We saw the change in the mindset of Indian men’s players, their body language and confidence. Their performance shot up, which is why we also wanted to play this tournament. Had I played in HIL 10 years ago, I would have been a different keeper today.”
Olympic medalists like India skipper Harmanpreet Singh, Manpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Amit Rohidas and Surender Kumar and many others are products of HIL that started in 2013 before folding in 2017. The league was relaunched after almost eight years on December 28 and will run along side the women’s event.
The camps of the women’s teams have been up and running in the last few weeks. Players are getting to know each other, on and off the field, having meals together, sharing the dressing room and learning about each other’s culture.
“We have known the foreign players for a long time but haven’t spent much time with them, just exchanged pleasantries during tournaments. Initially, there was a bit of hesitation and nervousness — will they be able to mix with us? Will we be able to speak English?” says Savita.
“But the foreign players are quite involved and the vibe is very nice. It’s a good environment. This is what we were waiting for. The women’s HIL will definitely benefit our national team.”
Following the camps, the Indian players are polishing their skills and tactics, overseas players are keen to learn basic Hindi words to communicate better and are also relishing local dishes.
“They are excited to learn Hindi and are constantly asking us about the meaning of words,” says Bengal Tigers forward Vandana Katariya. “They also tried gulab jamun and loved it.”
