Hockey India League: Franchises spend big to finalise squad on auction Day 2
The Hockey India League (HIL) 2024/25 Player Auction for the men’s competition concluded successfully in New Delhi on 13th and 14th October 2024. Eight franchises formed competitive squads ahead of the season, which will take place in Rourkela later this year.
On the second day of the auction, overseas players attracted significant bids, with Belgium’s Victor Wegnez emerging as the costliest buy, sold for Rs 40 lakh to Soorma Hockey Club. Other major purchases included Dutch Captain Thierry Brinkman (Rs 38 lakh) and Belgium’s Arthur Van Doren (Rs 32 lakh) to Kalinga Lancers, while notable Indian buys featured Moriangthem Rabichandra (Rs 32 lakh to Kalinga Lancers) and Maninder Singh (Rs 26 lakh to Soorma Hockey Club).
Young talents also saw big bids. Angad Bir Singh went to Kalinga Lancers for Rs 26 lakh, while Rajinder joined Hyderabad Toofans for Rs 23 lakh. On the first day, Indian core players were the focus. Harmanpreet Singh was the most expensive, bought by Soorma Hockey Club. Abhishek was the second-most expensive at Rs 72 lakh for Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, and Hardik Singh was acquired by UP Rudras for Rs 70 lakh.
Among the international players, Germany’s Gonzalo Peillat was the highest overseas buy at Rs 68 lakh, while the Netherlands’ Jip Janssen fetched Rs 54 lakh for Tamil Nadu Dragons.
