Hockey India League Auction 2024: The Hockey India League Player Auction 2024/25 for the men’s division took place successfully in New Delhi on October 13 and 14, 2024. Each of the eight franchises built strong teams for the upcoming season, which is set to be held in Rourkela later this year.
On the second day of the auction, international players attracted significant bids, with Belgium’s Victor Wegnez becoming the highest-priced player, sold to Soorma Hockey Club for 40 lakh. Other notable overseas acquisitions included Dutch Captain Thierry Brinkman (38 lakh) and Belgium’s Arthur Van Doren (32 lakh), both signed by Kalinga Lancers, along with Indian players Moriangthem Rabichandra (32 lakh) and Maninder Singh (26 lakh), who were also key buys on Day 2.
Several young players with a base price of 2 lakh performed well in the auction, including Angad Bir Singh, who was picked by Kalinga Lancers for 26 lakh, and Rajinder, who joined Hyderabad Toofans for 23 lakh.
On the opening day (13th October), all eight franchises splurged to acquire key players from the Indian Men’s Hockey team. Harmanpreet Singh was the top buy, going to Soorma Hockey Club as the most expensive player at the men’s HIL Player Auction. Abhishek followed closely, being acquired by Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers for 72 lakh, while Hardik Singh was picked up by UP Rudras for 70 lakh.
In the overseas player category, Germany’s Gonzalo Peillat topped the list as the most expensive buy at 68 lakh, and the Netherlands’ Jip Janssen was acquired by Tamil Nadu Dragons for 54 lakh.