Franchises spend big on overseas, junior talents as HIL 2026 men's auction conclude successfully

New Delhi [India], September 24 (ANI): The buzz around the Hero Hockey India League (HIL) Mini Auctions reached its peak on Wednesday as franchises completed their squad-building process in a high-energy, closed-door session held here in the national capital.

Over 100 men players went under the hammer, with franchises making bold and strategic moves to secure talent for the upcoming season. With salary caps of Rs 4 Crores (Men), franchises made every move count, and their final rosters reflected a balanced mix of experienced internationals, promising juniors, and specialist positions such as goalkeepers and drag-flickers.

It is worth noting that the Hero HIL Governing Council today assumed charge of the UP Rudras franchise for the upcoming Hero HIL 2026 season. Until a new franchise owner comes forward, the team will be managed and operated by the Governing Council and will compete under the name 'HIL Governing Council'.

Men's franchises that were present in the auctions included: HIL Governing Council, Hyderabad Toofans, JSW Soorma Hockey Club, Ranchi Royals, SG Pipers, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, Tamil Nadu Dragons, Vedanta Kalinga Lancers.

Top Buys in the auction consisted of Liam Henderson - bought by Vedanta Kalinga Lancers for Rs 42 Lakhs, Sander de Wijn - bought by Tamil Nadu for Rs 36 Lakhs and Thies Prinz - bought by HIL Governing Council for Rs 36 Lakhs.

Vivek Lakra (Indian junior goalkeeper), with a base price of Rs 2 Lakhs, stunned the room as multiple franchises entered the fray. Ultimately, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers signed him for a whopping Rs 23 Lakhs, one of the standout stories of the day.

Adrohit Ekka (Indian junior midfielder), one of the most sought-after juniors in the pool, sparked a heated bidding contest between JSW Soorma Hockey Club and Tamil Nadu Dragons, before the Dragons secured him for a whopping Rs 11 Lakhs.

Ajeet Yadav (Indian junior forward): With a base price of Rs 2 Lakhs, Yadav was bought by the HIL Governing Council for a whopping Rs 11.5 Lakhs. Sushil Dhanwar (Indian junior midfielder), also snapped up by Tamil Nadu Dragons at his base price of Rs 2 Lakhs, strengthening their youth brigade.

Sander de Wijn (The Netherlands defender), a marquee international pick, the Dutch stalwart triggered a fierce bidding war between SG Pipers and Tamil Nadu Dragons, before Dragons closed the deal at Rs 36 Lakhs. Cooper Burns (Australia forward) was another highlight of the day. Burns was sold to Vedanta Kalinga Lancers for Rs 34.50 Lakhs after a close contest with SG Pipers.

The Lancers continued their strong run in the auction, winning a bidding battle against SG Pipers to acquire Liam Henderson (Australian midfielder) for Rs 42 Lakhs. At just 14 years old, Ketan Kushwaha was among the youngest players in the pool. He was bought by Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers for Rs 2.5 Lakhs, marking a special moment for the budding talent.

Former Indian Hockey Team Captain Rupinder Pal Singh, who led Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers to title victory in the previous season, was bought by SG Pipers for Rs 12 Lakhs.

The auctions reflected franchises' growing emphasis on nurturing young Indian talent, with juniors like Ekka, Lakra, and Kushwaha commanding strong interest. At the same time, experienced overseas stars such as Sander de Wijn and Liam Henderson fetched big bids, highlighting the balance franchises sought between youth and international pedigree.

As the gavel came down on the final bids, the shape of the upcoming Hero HIL 2026 season became clearer. Franchises now look forward to translating their auction strategies into performances on the turf when the league kicks off.

Final squads of all men's franchises:

HIL Governing Council (Formerly UP Rudras): Retained - Prashant Barla (Jr Player), Priyobarta Talem (Jr Player), Manmeet Singh, Gurjot Singh, Prashant Kumar Chauhan, Surender Kumar, Hardik Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Sudeep Chirmako, Jasjit Singh Kular, Sebastian Dockier (Overseas), Kane Russell (Overseas), Tanguy Cosyns (Overseas), James Mazarelo (Overseas), James Albery (Overseas), Sam Ward (Overseas).

New buys - Ajeet Yadav (Rs 11.50 Lakhs), Thies Prinz (Rs 36 Lakhs), Rahul Yadav (Rs 2 Lakh), Mohd Harris (Rs 2 Lakh).

Hyderabad Toofans (All players were retained from original squad): Mukul Sharma, Irengbam Rohit (Jr Player), Bikramjit Singh (Jr Player), Sundaram Rajawat (Jr Player), Arshdeep Singh (Jr Player), Devindar Sunil Walmiki, Amandeep Lakra, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit, Rahim Aakib Sayyed, Rajinder, Shilanand Lakra, Talwinder Singh, Gonzalo Peillat (Overseas), Jean Paul Danneberg (Overseas), Nic Woods (Overseas), Jacob Anderson (Overseas), Arthur de Sloover (Overseas), Timothy Brand (Overseas), Zachary Wallace (Overseas).

JSW Soorma Hockey Club: Retained - Sukhvinder (Jr Player), Pradip Mandal (Jr Player), Vincent Vanasch (Overseas), Jeremy Hayward (Overseas), Nicolas Della Torre (Overseas), Victor Wegnez (Overseas), Nicolas Keenan (Overseas), Dayaan Cassiem (Overseas), Nicolas Poncelet (Overseas), Mohith H S, Harmanpreet Singh, Gurinder Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Harjeet Singh, Prabhjot Singh, Gurjant Singh, Maninder Singh, Pawan Rajbhar, Akashdeep Singh (Traded From UP Rudras).

New buy - Jeetpal (Rs 3.2 Lakh).

Ranchi Royals: Retained - Yashdeep Siwach, Amir Ali (Jr Player), Anmol Ekka (Jr Player), Araijeet Singh Hundal (Jr Player), Suraj Karkera, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Manpreet Singh, Vishnukant Singh, Mandeep Singh, Timothee Clement (Overseas), Timothy Howard (Overseas), Mustapha Cassiem (Overseas), Tom Boon (Overseas).

New buys - Manmeet Singh Rai (Rs 2 Lakh), Ashish Purty (Rs 2 Lakh), Loick Luypaert (Rs 10 Lakhs), Sam Lane (Rs 10 Lakhs), Jack Waller (Rs 10 Lakhs), Ravneet Singh (Rs 5 Lakhs), Ashish Purti (Rs 2 Lakhs).

SG Pipers: Retained - Manjeet, Thokchom Kingson Singh, Rohit (Jr Player), Ankit Pal (Jr Player), Dilraj Singh (Jr Player), Aditya Lalage (Jr Player), Sourabh Anand Kushwaha (Jr Player), Pawan, Jarmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, Shamsher Singh, Raj Kumar Pal, Willott KY (Overseas), Tomas Santiago (Overseas), Gareth Furlong (Overseas), Tomas Domene (Overseas), Jacob Draper (Overseas - Traded from Ranchi Royals Hockey).

New buys - Roman Duvekot (Rs 10 Lakhs), Rupinder Pal Singh (Rs 12 Lakhs), Bram Van Battum (Rs 11 Lakhs).

Shrachi Bengal Tigers: Retained - Gursewak Singh (Jr Player), Hayden Beltz (Overseas), Gauthier Boccard (Overseas), James Carr (Overseas), Sean Findlay (Overseas), Enrique Gonzalez (Overseas - Traded from Vedanta Kalinga Lancers), Christopher Ruhr (Overseas - Traded from Delhi SG Pipers), Jugraj Singh, Jaskaran Singh, Pradhan Poovanna Chandura, Affan Yousuf, Atul Deep, Pardeep Singh Sandhu, Sukhjeet Singh, Abhishek.

New buys - Parmod (Rs 5 Lakh), Vivek Lakra (Rs 23 Lakhs), Ketan Kushwaha (Rs 2.5 Lakh), Ajinkya Jadhav (Rs 2 Lakh), Tom Grambusch (Rs 10 Lakhs).

Tamil Nadu Dragons: Retained - Pruthvi GM, Arun J (Jr Player), Prince Deep Singh (Jr Player), Chandan Yadav (Jr Player), Amit Rohidas, Anand Lakra, Mohd. Raheel Mouseen, Shesha Gowda, Selvam Karthi, Uttam Singh, Thomas Sorsby (Overseas), David Harte (Overseas), Moritz Ludwig (Overseas), Tom Craig (Overseas), Govers Blake (Overseas), Nathan Ephraums (Overseas).

New buys - Adrohit Ekka (Rs 11 Lakhs), Sushil Dhanwar (Rs 2 Lakh), K Selvaraj (Rs 2 Lakh), Sander de Wijn (Rs 36 Lakhs).

Vedanta Kalinga Lancers: Retained - Gursahibjit Singh, Rohit Kullu (Jr Player), Deepak Pradhan (Jr Player), Rosan Kujur (Jr Player), Krishan B Pathak, Sanjay, Partap Lakra, Moriangthem Rabichandra, Dilpreet Singh, Angad Bir Singh, Alexander Hendrickx (Overseas), Arthur van Doren (Overseas), Antoine Kina (Overseas).

New buys - Liam Henderson (Rs 42 Lakhs), Amit Toppo (Rs 2 Lakh), Sunil Punjab (Rs 2 Lakh), Bobby Singh Dhami (Rs 10 Lakhs), Jed Snowden (Rs 10 Lakhs), Cooper Burns (Rs 34.50 Lakhs), Craig Marais (Rs 10 Lakhs). (ANI)

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