Meet The CEO Aiming To Take Hockey India League To The Next Level


Hyderabad Toofans and Resolute Sports CEO Sai Prakash Kommireddi. Article by Rod Gilmour. Photograph courtesy The Hockey Paper

ai Prakash Kommireddi describes himself as a marketing professional who has mixed both cement and sports over a 40-year business career. From the might of the Indian Premier League (IPL), he is now at the helm of a sports group which aims to muscle in on the sporting landscape beyond cricket's saturated market in India.

"We want to be involved in sports where athletes need more gratification and more reward than what they are presently getting," says Prakash, who oversees volleyball and hockey teams in the franchise-heavy world of Indian sports.

Prakash started his career in 1985 with Chennai-based India Cements. His own path into sports was forged with the conglomerate's cricket franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK), for which he led the commercial and marketing division.

When Dubai-based businessman Alok Sanghi sold Sanghi Industries to Adani Group-owned Ambuja Cements in 2023, he set up a sports investment arm and appointed Prakash as the CEO.

Resolute Sports, who own the Delhi Toofans franchise in the Prime Volleyball League, invested into their second sport when they became owners of Hyderabad Toofans in the Men's Hockey India League (HIL).

Eight teams competed in Rourkela in the 2024-25 Men's HIL, with the Hyderabad Toofans finishing as the runner-up.

There are high hopes for HIL 2.0 after it originally ran from 2013 until 2017. Hockey India is reportedly investing a staggering $12.8M (£10.3M) each year to sustain its flagship event. Total prize money for the edition just completed was $1.5M (£1.2M).

"2008 was the first year IPL started, and we didn't make any money up until 2016, during the third cycle of the media rights," admits Prakash. "Entry into any sports league is not going to be profitable right away. Sports business sense is all about building the value of the property.

"India plays world-class hockey, it's the national game of India and it is a game which has commercially underperformed so far in India."

Prakash cites hockey's fast-paced 60-minute games where "eyeballs aren't disengaged and you can get engrossed", adding that HIL has the makings of being "one of the best content drivers in Indian sports."

Prakash won't divulge financial numbers but says that the investment into the Hyderabad franchise is substantial. "It's how we build season upon season and it's up to us to make fans aware," believes Prakash. "You go through the tunnel only when you can see the light at the end of it. That was the key thing missing in HIL 1.0.

"Every league's success depends upon the kind of franchises you are getting. They should have a sense of sports business - which is a long wait time, investment in building a brand, and league and event team working jointly on the product. And then deep pockets to last through the journey. I believe the majority of the franchises do have these qualities."

There is an undoubted fan base for the HIL, given that crowds of 7,000 were present in Ranchi for the women's matches, and 20,000 plus fans were present in world's largest hockey stadium in Rourkela for the men's matches.

"At any event fatigue comes into play if all the matches are held in a single location," Prakash says of the current single-venue setup. "We should take the HIL across India and thereby diversify our fan base."

Having purchased Germany's Gonzalo Peillat for £63,000 to become the most expensive foreign player - Hyderabad also have British star Zach Wallace - the Toofans believe they have the foundations of a good team.

"As a CEO I don't like to get into the game part of it," says Prakash. "We are good at the business of sport and ensuring it's a viable property to be associated with. We are very good at setting up the right people for the right job."

Prakash lists his Vice President at India Cements, Rakesh Singh, as a great influence on his career. "I was handling marketing at India Cements and I told him one of my ambitions was to handle Chennai Super Kings. The next day he gave me the job.

He was handling CSK before me and at the end of my tenure said, 'Prakash has done better than me'. Now, who would have the courage to say that?"

Now That The HIL And WHIL Are Over, How Can We Make Them Better?


Article by Vinayakk Mohanarangan, courtesy The Indian Express. Photograph of Dileep Tirkey credit Hockey India

n the final day of the Men's Hockey India League (HIL) in Rourkela, the magnificent Birsa Munda Stadium was nearly jam-packed, with the fan count estimated to have crossed 20,000. The craze to get inside was so much that there were thousands of fans who had to be turned away at the gates, even leading to a bit of a security concern at one point during the evening.

The quality of the final, where Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers beat Hyderabad Toofans 4-3 in a thriller, made it a grand closing act for the league's return after 7 years.

"That's why we play this league," Vincent Vanasch, one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, told The Indian Express after his Soorma Hockey Club finished third. "We already knew this fan turnout with the national team, now we know it can happen in HIL too. It was spectacular."

Looking back, the quality of matches in both the men's and women's leagues was undoubtedly close to world-class, and the entertainment factor rarely dipped. Looking ahead, there are a few teething issues that need to be addressed for the HIL to improve as a product.

Better Marketing: A buzz was missing about the league in the national media, apart from the on-ground footfall. "More marketing is needed for future editions, because this time we had less time to promote the league," Hockey India President Dileep Tirkey said, when asked what has been some of the feedback from the franchises.

Refereeing Levels: Tamil Nadu Dragons goalkeeper David Harte wasn't in such a happy mood on the day of the final. He was still hurting from the nature of the semifinal defeat 24 hours earlier. "Absolutely gutted," Harte said, referring to a back stick call that went against Dragons in sudden death, that would have otherwise given them the win right then. "We were robbed. We were told that we couldn't appeal it. Some regulations are rubbish," the Irish veteran said.

There were other blunders for the duration of the league, but the hope is that having a larger pool of international referees would help next season. .

Broadcast Quality: Hockey India brought on Doordarshan as the official broadcasting partner for this edition (though Sony Sports came on board later, the production was still by Doordarshan). The viewing experience was jarring, with unnecessary camera angle changes often leading to action being missed at critical times. An lack of understanding of how to present a top-quality hockey match on television was evident.

More Venues: Staying in Rourkela for over a month proved to be a challenge, too, even though teams found a way to stay entertained. But with single-venue hosting model for both the men's and women's HIL, things got a bit monotonous as the season wore on, especially in the longer-duration men's edition.

Condensed League: Said one franchise official, "There were relatively long breaks, like four days off between matches, which could be reduced. A one-day gap between matches is often sufficient. Also, the league must consider double-headers on weekdays too, and not just weekends. Starting the league in the first week of January would be better. That way, players can enjoy New Year's with their families, and have a week of training before the start of the league."

Auction Purse: A cap of ₹2 crore for each women's team, and ₹4 crore for each men's team has been cited as insufficient. "We will talk with the franchise owners. We also want the capping of the purse for the women's and men's teams," said Tirkey.

The overall sentiment, at least from the overseas players one spoke to, was one of satisfaction. Dutchman Jip Janssen, one of the best players in the world right now, told this daily earlier: "I am really happy with how the league was played. If it'd be possible to continue to organise this without interfering with our national team programs, that'd be good. I've never seen such a tournament so well organised, so I hope to be here next year."

Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers Win Men's Hockey India League In Raurkela


Vivek Sagar Prasad (Soorma Hockey Club) vs. David Harte (Tamil Nadu Dragons). Photo by Arjun Singh/Aceimages for Hockey India

he 8 participating teams in the 2024-25 Hero Hockey India League (HIL) were Delhi SG Pipers, Hyderabad Toofans, JSW Soorma Hockey Club, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, Tamil Nadu Dragons, Team Gonasika, UP Rudras and Vedanta Kalinga Lancers.

Phase I matches of the 2024-25 HIL were played from 28 December, 2024 - 18 January, 2025 at the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Raurkela. In Phase I, teams played each other in round-robin format (7 matches for each team).

Phase 2 commenced on the 19th January, 2025, where the 8 teams were divided into two pools of four teams each and the teams played round robin within the pool (3 matches for each team).

The points table at the end of the Men's HIL Phase I and Phase II (total 10 matches) was as shown below. The points system was an outright win gets 3 points, a tie gives both teams 1 point each, and tied teams play a shootout with 1 bonus point for the shootout winner.

  Teams  P   W  WS  L  LS GF GA GD Pts
Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers 10 6 0 3 1 24 22 2 19
JSW Soorma Hockey Club 10 4 3 2 1 19 18 1 19
Hyderabad Toofans 10 4 2 2 2 26 16 10 18
Tamil Nadu Dragons 10 4 2 2 2 22 23 -1 18
UP Rudras 10 5 1 4 0 18 17 1 17
Vedanta Kalinga Lancers 10 3 1 5 1 31 31 0 12
Team Gonasika 10 3 1 5 1 21 22 -1 12
Delhi SG Pipers 10 0 1 6 3 18 30 -12 5

After 10 matches, four teams advanced to the semi-finals (Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, JSW Soorma Hockey Club, Hyderabad Toofans, Tamil Nadu Dragons), while the remaining four teams got eliminated (UP Rudras, Vedanta Kalinga Lancers, Team Gonasika, Delhi SG Pipers).

The HIL had some much competitive parity that that only 1 point separated the top four teams that qualified for the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals played on 31 January, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers beat Tamil Nadu Dragons 2-2 (6-5 SO), while Hyderabad Toofans beat JSW Soorma Hockey Club 3-1.

In the final played on 1 February, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers defeated Hyderabad Toofans 4-3 in a jam-packed Birsa Munda Stadium in Raurkela. Gonzalo Peillat (9, 39 min) and Amandeep Lakra (26 min) scored for Hyderabad Toofans, while Jugraj Singh (25, 32, 35 min) and Sam Lane (54 min) found the back of the net to secure the title for the Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers.

In the match for 3rd place, Soorma Hockey Club 3 (Gurjant Singh 12 min, Harjeet Singh 19 min, Prabhjot Singh 57 min) beat Tamil Nadu Dragons 1 (Blake Govers 15 min).

The Men's HIL matches were broadcast on DD Sports, as well as Sony Ten 1, 3, and 4 channels. For digital audiences, the matches were available to stream on Sony LIV and Waves, the OTT platform of Prasar Bharati.

Odisha Warriors Win Inaugural Women's Hockey India League In Ranchi


Salima Tete scores for JSW Soorma Hockey Club against Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers. Photo credit Deepak KR of Sportstar

he 4 participating teams in the 2024-25 Women's Hockey India League (HIL) were Delhi SG Pipers, JSW Soorma Hockey Club, Odisha Warriors and Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers.

The Women's HIL was played from January 12-26 at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium, Ranchi.

The league opened with a glitzy ceremony where artistes showcased the culture of Jharkhand. Mrs. Kalpana Soren, Member of Legislative Assembly, Govt of Jharkhand and wife of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, unveiled the Women's HIL trophy along with the captains of the four Women's HIL teams.

The points table at the end of the round-robin stage is shown below. Each team played the other teams twice, for a total of 6 matches per team. The points system was an outright win gets 3 points, a tie gives both teams 1 point each, and tied teams play a shootout with 1 bonus point for the shootout winner.

  Teams  P   W  WS  L  LS GF GA GD Pts
JSW Soorma Hockey Club 6 4 0 1 1 15 7 8 13
Odisha Warriors 6 2 2 1 1 11 5 6 11
Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers 6 2 0 3 1 8 13 -5 7
Delhi SG Pipers 6 1 1 4 0 4 13 -9 5

The top two teams at the end of the round-robin stage faced each other in the final held on 26 January. Odisha Warriors defeated JSW Soorma Hockey Club 2-1 in a jam-packed Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Stadium in Ranchi to win the inaugural Women's HIL.

Odisha Warriors' 22-year-old Rutuja Pisal, who is yet to make her senior India debut, was the star of the final, scoring twice against JSW Soorma Hockey Club. This is a validation of why the Women's HIL matters. Rutuja would've never gotten a chance to perform in a high-pressure final until she had made it to the senior Indian team for an important tournament.

The Women's HIL matches were broadcast on DD Sports, as well as Sony Ten 1, 3, and 4 channels. For digital audiences, the matches were available to stream on Sony LIV and Waves, the OTT platform of Prasar Bharati.

In retrospect, just four teams in the Women's HIL, and just six matches per team was too short a league. Ideally, more foreign players and Indian talent should make their way to the league.

With two more teams set to join next year's Women's HIL (Hyderabad Toofans and BC Jindal Group of Mumbai), we should see a longer duration season, hopefully a bigger team purse, and a wider selection of top women's hockey players from the world.

Photograph of the Month


Article by Phil Bailey, courtesy Hockey Wales

he February 2025 Photograph of the Month is of the Irish team that played in the very first hockey international. The report below is from Phil Bailey, courtesy Hockey Wales.

On Saturday, January 26th, 1895, the first-ever international field hockey match took place marking a historic moment for the sport. The match was played between Ireland and Wales in the town of Rhyl, located in North Wales. This pioneering encounter laid the foundation for the global development of field hockey as an organized sport.

At the time Rhyl was the only town in the principality that possessed a hockey club, and it was this, combined with the huge effort by the members of the club, that resulted in the contest taking place.

The Wales selectors met on Friday, 18 January, 1895 to choose their side to face the Irish. Following the announcement, some press sources expressed dissatisfaction that there were too many players picked from the Rhyl club. The consensus was that Ireland was the stronger side and should win the game.

The press' prediction came to fruition with a 3-0 win to the Irish side.

Whilst the score line was a real testament to the strength of the Irish side, it was an even greater feat due to team having had a dreadful sea passage. They were reported as having been a most pitiful spectacle when they arrived at Holyhead, as all members of the team had been seasick on their express boat journey from North Wall.

On the morning of the match they took the slow train from Bangor to Rhyl. On arrival, both teams were photographed; Wales in black with the Prince of Wales feathers in gold, whilst Ireland had shirts with a light green centre and the shamrock in dark green.

This first international started in a blinding snowstorm, which continued for the duration of the contest.

Ireland won the toss and elected to play with the wind. By half time the visitors were two goals up, and went on to win the game by 3-0, with goals from T. Beckett (2) and A. Carroll.

After the match the teams and two umpires, Mr. Fletcher and Mr. Barnes, were entertained to dinner by the Welsh Committee and Mr. Strachan J.P., President of the Rhyl Hockey Club. Mr. Strachan complimented Ireland on their victory and the Irish Captain, Mr. Dobbs of Dundrum responded and hoped the Welsh team would soon visit Ireland.

Money Matters


The victorious Indian women's hockey team after the final. Photograph by R. V. Moorthy courtesy Sportstar

he Hero Hockey India League (HIL) 2024-25 distributed ₹10 crore in prize money across the men's and women's league.

In the Men's HIL, the following prize money was awarded to the teams finishing in the top three.

  • Winner: Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers (₹3 crore)
  • Runner Up: Hyderabad Toofans (₹2 crore)
  • 3rd Place: Soorma Hockey Club (₹1 crore)

Hero MotoCorp, the tournament's title sponsor, gave the following individual awards.

Prize Amount Award Winner Team
₹10 lakh Goalkeeper of the Tournament Bikramjeet Singh Hyderabad Toofans
₹10 lakh Upcoming Player of the Tournament Arshdeep Singh Hyderabad Toofans
₹10 lakh Top Scorer of the Tournament (12 goals) Jugraj Singh Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers
₹20 lakh Player of the Tournament Sukhjeet Singh Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers

In the Women's HIL, the following team and individual prize money was awarded.

  • Winner: Odisha Warriors (₹1.5 crore)
  • Runner Up: Soorma Hockey Club (₹1 crore)
  • 3rd Place: Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers (₹50 lakh)
Prize Award Winner Team
₹5 lakh Goalkeeper of the Tournament Savita Punia JSW Soorma Hockey Club
₹5 lakh Upcoming Player of the Tournament Sonam JSW Soorma Hockey Club
₹5 lakh Top Scorer of the Tournament Yibbi Jansen
Charlotte Englebert
Odisha Warriors
JSW Soorma Hockey Club
₹20 lakh Player of the Tournament Jyoti Rumavat JSW Soorma Hockey Club

Besides the above end-of-league awards, the Player of the Match in every men's and women's HIL match received ₹50,000 each.

Media Matters


Photograph credit Rourkela Shines

ollywood actress Sara Ali Khan performed in a musical song-and-dance programme before the Hero Hockey India Leage final held at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Raurkela on 1 Feburary.

The actress danced to her hit film songs, from "Chaka Chak" to "Tere Vaaste" to "Aankh Marey" in front of an overflow crowd of 20,000 who packed the stadium (with a few thousand stranded outside the stadium gates)

Sara shared glimpses of her performance on social media and wrote in the caption, "Overwhelmed & grateful for all the love. Thank you mere pyaare darshaks."

The performance was designed and choreographed by the Shiamak Davar Dance Company.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi and Sports Minister Suryabanshi Suraj were the chief guests on the occasion, and were introduced to the two teams before the start of the final.

Sara was originally supposed to have performed at the HIL Opening Ceremony. However, the ceremony was cancelled as a mark of respect for Dr. Manmohan Singh, who had passed away two days before the start of the HIL.

Records and Statistics


Fireworks at the HIL Opening Ceremony in Raurkela on 28 December, 2024. Image courtesy Soumojit Sarkar/X

his month's edition of records and statistics is on the various editions of the Men's Hockey India League held so far.

  • Six editions of the Hockey India League have resulted in six different champions
  • The Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium has hosted 4 of the 6 Hockey India League finals held so far
  • Hero MotoCorp has been the Title Sponsor in 4 of the 6 Hockey India League editions held so far
  • In the 2024-25 edition, for the first time a Women's Hockey India League was held in parallel with the Men's League
Year Winner Runner Up Score in Final Venue of Final Title Sponsor Nos. of Teams Player of the Tournament
2013 Ranchi Rhinos Delhi Waveriders 2 -1 Raurkela Hero MotoCorp 5 Sardara Singh (Delhi Waveriders)
2014 Delhi Waveriders Punjab Warriors 3-3 (3-1 SO) Raurkela Hero MotoCorp 6 Jaap Stockmann (Punjab Warriors)
2015 Ranchi Rays Punjab Warriors 2-2 (3-2 SO) Delhi Hero MotoCorp 6 Ashley Jackson (Ranchi Rays)
2016 Punjab Warriors Kalinga Lancers 6-1 Raurkela Coal India 6 Rupinderpal Singh (Delhi Waveriders)
2017 Kalinga Lancers Dabang Mumbai 4-1 Chandigadh Coal India 6 Florian Fuchs (Dabang Mumbai)
2024-25 Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers Hyderabad Toofans 4-3 Raurkela Hero MotoCorp 8 Sukhjeet Singh (Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers)