NEW DELHI – The Hockey India League (HIL) moved quickly on Wednesday to deal with the UP Rudras franchise’s abrupt departure, which they said was due to “financial unsustainability.” Players, notably star captain Hardik Singh, were unsure for two days until Hockey India (HI) confirmed that its governing council will run the squad for the HIL 2026 season.
This step makes sure that all of the players from the now-defunct franchise will have a team to play for and won’t be left in limbo. The HIL governing council said it will run the team until a new owner is found and that it is “open to talks with interested parties.”
The UP Rudras are the third team to pull out of the next season. The first two teams to do so were the men’s squad Team Gonasika and the women’s team Odisha Warriors, who are the current champions. The league will still include eight men’s teams and four women’s teams, even though these problems have come up.
Mini-Auction Highlights: Players from other countries win most of the bids
The HIL mini-auction started at Hockey India’s headquarters after the UP Rudras problem was settled. As expected, teams spent a lot of money on foreign players at the auction because most of the best Indian players had already been signed.
Men’s Auction:
Liam Henderson, an Australian midfielder, became the most expensive player when he joined Vedanta Kalinga Lancers for ₹42 lakh.
Sander de Wijn from the Netherlands and Thies Prinz from Germany were tied for second most costly at ₹36 lakh. The HIL governing council now runs the squad that signed Prinz.
Vivek Lakra, a junior goalkeeper for India, was the biggest surprise of the day. Even though his original price was ₹2 lakh, the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers paid a huge ₹23 lakh for him.
Old-school drag-flicker SG Pipers paid ₹12 lakh for Rupinder Pal Singh after the Bengal Tigers let him go.
Hyderabad Toofans, who came in second place last year, were the only team that kept all of their players and did not take part in the auction.
Women’s Auction:
Argentine players made up most of the top buys during the women’s auction. The Bengal Tigers paid the most for Agustina Gorzelany, who cost ₹42 lakh.
Soorma signed her fellow countrywomen Granatto Maria Jose and Valentina Raposo Ruiz de los Llanos for ₹34 lakh and ₹30 lakh, respectively.
Monika, an Indian midfielder who didn’t sell last season, became the most expensive Indian player in the women’s auction, going to the Bengal Tigers for ₹15 lakh.
In the auction, more than 100 players were sold. The men’s teams can only spend ₹4 crore to put together a roster of 20 players, while the women’s teams can only spend ₹2 crore. Teams must have at least seven players from other countries.