The Hockey India League 2025-26 season gets underway from Sunday and will see some of the top players from the country and abroad play for glory.
The Women’s Hockey India League 2025-26 campaign runs from December 28 to January 10, while the Men’s HIL 2026 season is scheduled from January 3 to 26.
All matches of the Hockey India League 2026 season – both men’s and women’s – will be available to watch on live streaming and live telecast in India.
The Women’s HIL 2025-26 season will see four hockey teams – Ranchi Royals, SG Pipers, Soorma Hockey Club and Shrachi Bengal Tigers – compete for the title.
Ranchi Royals have replaced Odisha Warriors for the second season. The Warriors won the inaugural edition of the Women’s HIL played across the 2024-25 campaign but have withdrawn from this year’s tournament, leaving the door open for a brand new HIL champion.
The women’s league, to be staged exclusively at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi, Jharkhand, will consist of 13 matches and follow a double round-robin format where all teams will play each other twice.
Following the league stage, the top two teams will meet in the final on January 10.
In contrast, the men’s tournament will be a 33-game affair featuring eight teams – Tamil Nadu Dragons, Hyderabad Toofans, Soorma Hockey Club, Shrachi Bengal Tigers, Kalinga Lancers, Ranchi Royals, SG Pipers and the HIL Governing Council.
The HIL Governing Council has assumed control of the UP Rudras franchise’s operations following the departure of its owners. Team Gonasika, who competed last year, have pulled out.
The format of the Men’s HIL will see the teams play each other once in the league stage with the top four sides advancing to the Qualifier-Eliminator style playoffs.
Matches of the Men’s HIL 2026 season will be held across three venues – the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai, the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi and the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
All the playoff matches and the final will be held in Bhubaneswar. The Shrachi Bengal Tigers are the reigning champions.
This will be the seventh season of the Men’s Hockey India League, which originally started in 2013. The tournament was revived in 2025 after an eight-year gap.
Where to watch Hockey India League 2025-26 live
Both men’s and women’s matches of the Hockey India League 2025-26 season will be available to watch on live streaming on the HIL YouTube channel and Waves platform. The HIL hockey matches will be telecast live on the Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3 and DD Sports TV channels in India.