PR Sreejesh and former players as part of Hockey India League means so much for sport

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The revival of the Hockey India League after a long break is defining for many reasons. First, when India hosted the Premier Hockey League, which even the most ardent fan may have forgotten, it was owned by the Indian Hockey Federation. Then came the HIL, which ran well but then went off the calendar.

Anyone who has followed Indian hockey would know politics, courtesy Hockey India, has been a bane more than a boon. That the same Hockey India shut down the HIL seven years back is well-known, whether it was over TV deal wrangling or other reasons.

Most notably, now, with India having won two back-to-back bronze medals at the Olympics in Tokyo and Paris, to have two leagues at home is brilliant. The women felt left out, but with six teams to be included in the league, there is a lot to look forward to.

One look at the people involved in the leagues and the team owners, the way sponsors have lined up to buy teams is so happy. For long, cricket has been the sole sport which has grabbed all the money. The change is for the better and across many sporting disciplines, investors are pumping in money into disciplines like kabaddi, chess, hockey, and even kho kho.

Don't ask who watches all this. There is an audience, be it at home or away. India may not be a sporting nation in the strict sense of winning medals at the Olympics but to create leagues is working on an ecosystem which helps so many.

When Delhi SG Pipers director PR Sreejesh said at a press conference on Friday that he would like to get Harmanpreet Singh as well as Manpreet Singh in his team, he was not joking. It's a new job and Sreejesh knows to get the best players will not be simple. Auction dynamics is complex and money plays a big role. At the same time, bidding is fierce, though not like the IPL.

This will be a new job for Sreejesh but the good part is he will have Graham Reid, a respected coach who will be able to help him. In fact, Sreejesh going with the Delhi franchise is good news since the SAI (Sports Authority of India) has been dragging its feet on his appointment as junior coach.

It is something which should have fallen on Sreejesh's lap, automatically. Obviously, the way the SAI works, they have been caught in sleep mode, though they were prompt in hiring Harendra Singh as the women's coach at a mind-boggling salary.

The same goes for other franchise teams as well, men and women. Indeed, the HIL is going to provide an opportunity to players at home as well as from overseas. Harmanpreet has spoken of how the league will help players. Rewind to the period when Indian players had to go and ply their trade in hockey leagues in Malaysia and even Europe, a market at home is good.

Money is just one part and the growth of the sport quite another. The world looks at India very fondly as there is so much money and employment at stake. If one goes through the list of former players and coaches who will be busy during the HIL, it is impressive. Any new league for the women is important.

As Mahesh Bhupathi said, Indian women athletes are making waves and that is a good sign. In less than a fortnight, the HIL auction will again make news. Just see how winning medals at the Olympics has acted as a catalyst.