~Girls’s league to be held in Ranchi from twenty eighth December to tenth January, whereas the boys’s league will run from third to twenty sixth January throughout Chennai, Ranchi, and Bhubaneswar~
New Delhi, 25 October 2025: The Hero Hockey India League (HIL) on Saturday introduced the official schedule for the 2025–26 season of the Hero HIL Males’s and Girls’s League, marking the start of yet one more thrilling version of India’s premier hockey competitors. The announcement was made throughout a press convention held on the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh AstroTurf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi.
The occasion was graced by Chief Visitor Shri Sudivya Kumar, Hon’ble Minister for Tourism, Artwork, Tradition, Sports activities & Youth Affairs, Authorities of Jharkhand. The event was held within the august presence of Shri Bhola Nath Singh, Secretary Normal, Hockey India & Member, Hero Hockey India League Governing Committee, Shri Alvish M.A., Proprietor of Ranchi Royals, together with celebrated hockey gamers Mandeep Singh, Ashish Tani Purti, Sangita Kumari, Deepika Soreng, Nikki Pradhan, and Magnificence Dung Dung.
Including to the thrill, the official emblem of Ranchi Royals was additionally unveiled in the course of the occasion, symbolising the staff’s vibrant spirit and robust reference to Jharkhand’s wealthy hockey heritage.
The brand new season will see the boys’s league performed throughout three main cities – Chennai, Ranchi and Bhubaneswar – whereas the ladies’s league will as soon as once more happen completely in Ranchi, following the success of final 12 months’s format.
The lads’s Hero HIL will kick off on third January 2026 on the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai with an thrilling opener between residence facet Tamil Nadu Dragons and Hyderabad Toofans, setting the tone for almost a month of world-class hockey motion. The lads’s league will function eight groups – Tamil Nadu Dragons, Hyderabad Toofans, JSW Soorma Hockey Membership, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers (defending champions), Vedanta Kalinga Lancers, Ranchi Royals, SG Pipers, and HIL Governing Council.
In the meantime, the ladies’s Hero HIL will start on twenty eighth December 2025 on the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Astro Turf Stadium in Ranchi. The opening conflict will see Ranchi Royals tackle SG Pipers, adopted by per week of aggressive fixtures among the many 4 taking part groups – Ranchi Royals, SG Pipers, JSW Soorma Hockey Membership, and Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers.
Males’s Hero HIL Format:
The Males’s Hero HIL 2025–26 might be performed throughout three vibrant, hockey-loving cities, celebrating the game’s spirit nationwide. The opening leg might be hosted in Chennai from 3 to 9 January on the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, the place groups will kick off their campaigns. The motion will then transfer to Ranchi for the second leg, scheduled from 11 to 16 January on the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda Astro Turf Stadium, earlier than heading to Bhubaneswar for the third and ultimate leg from 17 to 26 January on the iconic Kalinga Stadium.
Every staff will face the others as soon as in a single round-robin format, with the highest 4 groups advancing to the playoffs. The knockout stage — comprising Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator on 23 January, adopted by Qualifier 2 on 25 January — will all happen in Bhubaneswar. The season will culminate in a grand finale on 26 January 2026 on the Kalinga Stadium, that includes the third/4th place match earlier within the night, adopted by the much-anticipated Closing to crown the brand new Hero HIL champions.
Hero HIL Girls’s League Format:
The Girls’s Hero HIL will observe a double round-robin format, with every of the 4 groups dealing with each different facet twice. Following the league stage, the highest two groups on the factors desk will qualify for the Closing on tenth January 2026, which is able to resolve the champions of the Girls’s Hero Hockey India League 2026.
Talking on the announcement, Hero Hockey India League Governing Committee Chairperson Dr. Dilip Tirkey stated, “After the success of Hero Hockey India League final season, I guarantee followers from throughout the nation high quality of competitors as all our groups gear up with a few of the world’s largest names within the sport. This 12 months, now we have expanded the boys’s league to 3 completely different cities to make sure everybody can benefit from the motion proper from the venues.”
“The increasing fan base, and the inclusion of high worldwide gamers have elevated the league to world requirements. This season won’t solely showcase elite hockey but in addition encourage the following era of gamers throughout the nation,” he added.
Hockey India League Governing Committee Member Shri Bhola Nath Singh additionally shared his ideas and said, “The Hero Hockey India League has turn into a pageant of hockey and a platform the place the very best of Indian and worldwide expertise come collectively. With matches unfold throughout a number of venues and robust fan engagement, we count on this season to be essentially the most thrilling one but. The league continues to strengthen India’s hockey ecosystem and reaffirm our place as one of many sport’s true powerhouses.”
A complete of 13 matches might be performed within the Girls’s Hero HIL, whereas the Males’s Hero HIL will function 33 thrilling encounters. The Girls’s League will see participation from gamers representing over 10 international nations, together with the Netherlands, Belgium, Argentina, Australia, Spain, and Nice Britain, bringing a very world flavour to the competitors. Equally, the Males’s League will showcase worldwide stars from greater than 10 nations, reminiscent of Argentina, Belgium, Germany, England, Spain, and Australia, making certain world-class motion and high-intensity hockey all through the season.
