The Hockey India League (HIL) 2026 — India’s premier professional field hockey competition — is in its 2025–26 season, featuring both men’s and women’s tournaments that have drawn strong domestic and international interest. After a hiatus of several years, the HIL’s return has reinvigorated professional hockey in the country, offering top-class competition and high-stakes league action across multiple locations.

Season Structure and Timeline

The 2025–26 HIL season comprises separate Men’s and Women’s tournaments staged under the governance of Hockey India, following a format that includes round-robin league play followed by playoffs for the men’s event.

The Men’s Hockey India League 2026 began on 3 January 2026 at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai, with matches also scheduled at Jaipal Singh Stadium in Ranchi and the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The league phase continued through mid-January, leading up to the playoffs from 23 to 26 January 2026, with the final scheduled on 26 January 2026.

A separate Women’s Hockey India League 2025–26 season was held earlier, starting 28 December 2025 and concluding with its final on 10 January 2026, exclusively at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astro Turf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi.

Matches for both tournaments are being telecast live on Sony Sports Ten 1, Sony Sports Ten 3 and DD Sports in India, with online streaming available via Waves and the Hockey India League YouTube channel.

Teams and Competitive Format

In the Men’s HIL 2025–26, eight teams are competing in the round-robin league stage, where each team plays seven matches — one against every other side.

The teams competing in the men’s league include:

• Vedanta Kalinga Lancers

   

• Ranchi Royals

   

• Hyderabad Toofans

   

• HIL GC

   

• JSW Soorma Hockey Club

   

• Accord Tamil Nadu Dragons

   

• Shrachi Bengal Tigers

   

• SG Pipers

   

After all league matches, the top four teams advance to the playoffs stage, which includes an Eliminator, Qualifier 1, Qualifier 2, and the Final.

League Stage Highlights and Standings

The league phase produced a competitive standings table, with Vedanta Kalinga Lancers finishing at the top with 16 points after seven matches, followed by the Ranchi Royals with 12 points. Hyderabad Toofans, HIL GC and JSW Soorma Hockey Club were close behind, with the latter three finishing on 11 points each — the latter missing out on playoffs on goal difference.

Other notable performances came from Accord Tamil Nadu Dragons, who finished with 10 points, Shrachi Bengal Tigers with 9 points, and SG Pipers at the bottom of the table with 4 points.

Multiple matches during the league stage were significant: Vedanta Kalinga Lancers held an unbeaten run for much of the season, including a key victory against Hyderabad Toofans where Alexander Hendrickx netted the decisive goal. Shrachi Bengal Tigers, the defending champions from the previous season, also claimed notable wins, including an opening match success over JSW Soorma Hockey Club.

An exciting mid-season result saw JSW Soorma Hockey Club secure a comfortable 3–1 victory against HIL GC, featuring a brace from captain Harmanpreet Singh and a goal from Gurjant Singh.

In another intense league match, Soorma Hockey Club defeated SG Pipers 6–1 in their final round but fell short of qualifying for playoffs due to an insufficient goal margin needed to displace HIL GC.

Playoffs: Schedule and Matchups

With the league phase concluded, the playoffs are set to take place at Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar:

• Eliminator: Hyderabad Toofans vs HIL GC — 23 January, 5:00 pm IST

   

• Qualifier 1: Vedanta Kalinga Lancers vs Ranchi Royals — 23 January, 7:30 pm IST

   

• Qualifier 2: Loser of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Eliminator — 25 January, 7:30 pm IST

   

• Third-place playoff: Loser of Qualifier 2 vs Loser of Eliminator — 26 January, 5:00 pm IST

   

• Final: Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Qualifier 2 — 26 January, 7:30 pm IST

   

The structure allows the top two from the league stage — Kalinga Lancers and Ranchi Royals — a direct path to the main knockout, while the Eliminator gives the third and fourth ranked teams a chance to progress.

Women’s Hero Hockey India League 2025–26

The Women’s HIL earlier in January delivered competitive league action among four teams — typically featuring JSW Soorma Hockey Club, SG Pipers, Ranchi Royals and Bengal Tigers — with matches played in a double round-robin format followed by a final.

In one highlighted fixture on 5 January 2026, JSW Soorma Hockey Club registered a 2–1 win over Ranchi Royals, with Penny Squibb and Olivia Shannon on the scoresheet, demonstrating the league’s strong international mix of players and tactical contests.

While the women’s tournament accomplished its league stage and playoff fixtures by 10 January 2026, its success has contributed to growing interest in professional women’s hockey in India and expanded visibility for women’s franchise competition.

Why HIL 2026 Matters

The Hockey India League 2026 represents a comprehensive return of franchise-style professional hockey in India after a period of restructuring and revival, attracting world-class talent and offering Indian players a high-intensity competitive platform. It blends international players with elite domestic stars, helping raise the standard of play and nurturing talent ahead of global events like the World Cup and Olympics.

With its current schedule culminating in high-stakes playoff fixtures in late January, the 2025–26 HIL season continues to capture fan attention, promoting hockey’s commercial growth and contributing to the sport’s sustained popularity across the region.