On Sunday, Hockey India League officially announced the schedule for the 2025-26 season of the HIL Men’s and Women’s League, igniting the beginning of another exciting season of the hockey competition. During the press conference held at the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh AstroTurf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi, the Hockey India League schedule was unveiled, stating that the women’s event will kick off on December 28, while the men’s competition will start on January 3, respectively.
Announcement of the Hockey India League Schedule 2025-2026
Exciting news for the hockey fans as the Hockey India League (HIL) announced the schedule for the upcoming 2025-26 season of the tournament, marking a new chapter in India’s premier hockey competition. As per the announcement, the season will feature both men’s and women’s competition, with the matches set to be played in different cities like Chennai, Ranchi, and Bhubaneswar.
According to the Hockey India League schedule, the tournament will begin with the women’s league on December 28, 2025, in the Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Munda AstroTurf Stadium, Ranchi. Ranchi Royals will play the first match against SG Pipers. The women’s tournament will have four teams, namely Ranchi Royals, SG Pipers, JSW Soorma Hockey Club, and Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers.
Contested in the style of a round-robin in the Hockey India League schedule, each team is going to play the other two times, with the two best teams competing in the final on January 10, 2026, in Ranchi after the league stage. The women’s event will be composed of 13 matches in total, and the matches will be held in Ranchi, as per the success of last year’s format.
SUGGESTED READ: Hockey India Reveals Senior Women’s Squad for National Camp
On the other hand, in the men’s category of the Hockey India League schedule, the competition will start on January 3, 2026, at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, Chennai, with a thrilling opening match between Tamil Nadu Dragons and Hyderabad Toofans. Eight teams will take part in the competition of men, such as Tamil Nadu Dragons, Hyderabad Toofans, JSW Soorma Hockey Club, the defending champions, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, Kalinga Lancers, Ranchi Royals, SG Pipers, and the HIL Governing Council team.
The Hockey India League among the men will be conducted in three legs in major cities, where the first leg (January 3-9) will be held in Chennai, the second leg (January 11-16) in Ranchi, and the final leg (January 17-26) in Bhubaneswar at the Kalinga Stadium. Each team will host the other in a round-robin format, and the four best teams will proceed to the playoffs.
View this post on Instagram
It will be played in the knockout Round on January 23 (Qualifier 1 and an Eliminator), January 25 (Qualifier 2), and the Grand Final on January 26, 2026, with a third-place match before.
Here is the full Hockey India League schedule:
Women’s League Schedule
Date | Day | Match | Time | Venue |
December 28, 2025 | Sunday | Ranchi Royals vs SG Pipers | 7:30 PM | Ranchi |
December 29, 2025 | Monday | Soorma Hockey Club vs Rarh Bengal Tigers | 7:30 PM | Ranchi |
December 30, 2025 | Tuesday | Ranchi Royals vs Rarh Bengal Tigers | 7:30 PM | Ranchi |
December 31, 2025 | Wednesday | SG Pipers vs Soorma Hockey Club | 7:30 PM | Ranchi |
January 1, 2026 | Thursday | SG Pipers vs Rarh Bengal Tigers | 7:30 PM | Ranchi |
January 2, 2026 | Friday | Ranchi Royals vs Soorma Hockey Club | 7:30 PM | Ranchi |
January 3, 2026 | Saturday | Soorma Hockey Club vs SG Pipers | 5:30 PM | Ranchi |
January 4, 2026 | Sunday | Rarh Bengal Tigers vs Ranchi Royals | 4:00 PM | Ranchi |
January 5, 2026 | Monday | Soorma Hockey Club vs Ranchi Royals | 6:00 PM | Ranchi |
January 6, 2026 | Tuesday | SG Pipers vs Rarh Bengal Tigers | 6:00 PM | Ranchi |
January 7, 2026 | Wednesday | Rarh Bengal Tigers vs Soorma Hockey Club | 4:00 PM | Ranchi |
January 8, 2026 | Thursday | SG Pipers vs Ranchi Royals | 6:00 PM | Ranchi |
January 10, 2026 | Saturday | Final | 8:15 PM | Ranchi |
Men’s League Schedule
Date | Day | Match | Time | Venue |
January 3, 2026 | Saturday | Tamil Nadu Dragons vs Hyderabad Toofans | 8:15 PM | Chennai |
January 4, 2026 | Sunday | Soorma Hockey Club vs Rarh Bengal Tigers | 6:15 PM | Chennai |
January 4, 2026 | Sunday | Kalinga Lancers vs Ranchi Royals | 8:15 PM | Chennai |
January 5, 2026 | Monday | SG Pipers vs HIL GC | 8:15 PM | Chennai |
January 6, 2026 | Tuesday | Tamil Nadu Dragons vs Soorma Hockey Club | 8:15 PM | Chennai |
January 7, 2026 | Wednesday | HIL GC vs Rarh Bengal Tigers | 6:15 PM | Chennai |
January 7, 2026 | Wednesday | Hyderabad Toofans vs Ranchi Royals | 8:15 PM | Chennai |
January 8, 2026 | Thursday | Rarh Bengal Tigers vs Kalinga Lancers | 8:15 PM | Chennai |
January 9, 2026 | Friday | Hyderabad Toofans vs Soorma Hockey Club | 6:15 PM | Chennai |
January 9, 2026 | Friday | Tamil Nadu Dragons vs SG Pipers | 8:15 PM | Chennai |
January 11, 2026 | Sunday | HIL GC vs Kalinga Lancers | 6:15 PM | Ranchi |
January 11, 2026 | Sunday | Ranchi Royals vs Rarh Bengal Tigers | 8:15 PM | Ranchi |
January 12, 2026 | Monday | SG Pipers vs Hyderabad Toofans | 6:15 PM | Ranchi |
January 12, 2026 | Monday | HIL GC vs Tamil Nadu Dragons | 8:15 PM | Ranchi |
January 13, 2026 | Tuesday | Rarh Bengal Tigers vs Tamil Nadu Dragons | 8:15 PM | Ranchi |
January 14, 2026 | Wednesday | Hyderabad Toofans vs Kalinga Lancers | 6:15 PM | Ranchi |
January 14, 2026 | Wednesday | Ranchi Royals vs SG Pipers | 8:15 PM | Ranchi |
January 15, 2026 | Thursday | Soorma Hockey Club vs HIL GC | 8:15 PM | Ranchi |
January 16, 2026 | Friday | Ranchi Royals vs Soorma Hockey Club | 8:15 PM | Ranchi |
January 17, 2026 | Saturday | Rarh Bengal Tigers vs Hyderabad Toofans | 6:15 PM | Bhubaneswar |
January 17, 2026 | Saturday | Kalinga Lancers vs SG Pipers | 8:15 PM | Bhubaneswar |
January 18, 2026 | Sunday | SG Pipers vs Rarh Bengal Tigers | 6:15 PM | Bhubaneswar |
January 18, 2026 | Sunday | Kalinga Lancers vs Tamil Nadu Dragons | 8:15 PM | Bhubaneswar |
January 19, 2026 | Monday | HIL GC vs Ranchi Royals | 6:15 PM | Bhubaneswar |
January 20, 2026 | Tuesday | Hyderabad Toofans vs HIL GC | 6:15 PM | Bhubaneswar |
January 20, 2026 | Tuesday | Kalinga Lancers vs Soorma Hockey Club | 8:15 PM | Bhubaneswar |
January 21, 2026 | Wednesday | Tamil Nadu Dragons vs Ranchi Royals | 8:15 PM | Bhubaneswar |
January 22, 2026 | Thursday | Soorma Hockey Club vs SG Pipers | 8:15 PM | Bhubaneswar |
January 23, 2026 | Friday | Qualifier 1 | 6:15 PM | Bhubaneswar |
January 23, 2026 | Friday | Eliminator | 8:15 PM | Bhubaneswar |
January 25, 2026 | Sunday | Qualifier 2 | 6:00 PM | Bhubaneswar |
January 26, 2026 | Monday | 3rd / 4th Place | 6:15 PM | Bhubaneswar |
January 26, 2026 | Monday | Final | 8:15 PM | Bhubaneswar |
In the official announcement ceremony for the Hockey India League schedule in Ranchi, which was attended by government officials and the top players, Hockey India League Chairperson Dilip Tirkey mentioned that the league will offer fans world-class hockey and motivate the young players throughout India. The season will consist of 33 men’s and 13 women’s matches, with the best international players playing in the matches representing more than 10 countries, and this is going to be a thrilling and fast-paced hockey season.
Jyoti Sharma’s View
I am thrilled to learn that the new season of the Hockey India League has finally been announced, with 33 men’s and 13 women’s matches to be featured in the tournament. What’s more exciting is that the tournament will have women’s matches starting earlier as compared to men’s, which is 28th of December. With four teams set to play in the women’s league, it would be interesting to see how they will compete in the highest level for glory.
On the other hand, the Hockey India League schedule has stated that the men’s competition will kick off from January 3, with eight teams, including the defending champion Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, fighting for the title.
YOU MIGHT READ: Manisha Chauhan Leads India A Teams to China Glory
