After the Hockey India League (HIL) became famous as the international star of the show as far as the Indian ground is concerned, the League now is seeing the departure of various foreign players. It is said that because of a confluence of scheduling issues, national team obligations, and travel issues, a considerable number of international athletes have chosen to withdraw. Consequently, franchises are currently forced to re-evaluate their rosters only a few weeks before the tournament begins to take place.
The exit of global players has created a two-way response between the players in India. It may no longer be possible to take on the world, but conversely it would provide more people in the country with a wider platform to express their talent. ‘It was something I was really looking forward to playing with the foreign stars I admire, yet at the same time, it is most likely the time when I will be able to play in the lead’ a young midfielder of Punjab summed up the mood of the local players.
The fans have not been left behind either because they too expressed their dissatisfaction.
The majority of them who remember the past when the involvement of the international stars not only raised the level of the game but also invited tremendous numbers of people. We just had to come and see the greats of world hockey. Their absence is never going to be the same, stated Ritu Sharma, who is a hockey fan in Ranchi.
But the response from Hockey India is in a positive way, that despite the issues the tournament will take place as planned and they are striving hard to keep the game competitive and exciting. This is viewed by league experts as a turning point in the league which will no longer be reliant on foreign players and instead on the development of the Indian talent pool.
