HIL 2026: Liam Henderson and Vivek Lakra earn big in men’s auction

New Delhi:The excitement around the Hockey India League (HIL) Mini Auctions peaked on Wednesday as franchises finalised their squads during an energetic closed-door session in New Delhi, with overseas player Liam Henderson and India’s junior player Vivek Lakra emerging as the top buys.

Over 100 male players were auctioned, with teams making strategic and bold decisions to acquire talent for the upcoming season. With a salary cap of Rs. 4 crore, each move was impactful, resulting in rosters that featured a balanced blend of seasoned international players, emerging juniors, and specialised roles, such as goalkeepers and drag-flickers.

The HIL Governing Council announced on Wednesday that they have taken over the UP Rudras franchise for the upcoming HIL 2026 season. Until a new owner is found, the team will be managed and operated by the Governing Council, competing under the name ‘HIL Governing Council’.

Franchises that participated in the auctions included: HIL Governing Council, Hyderabad Toofans, JSW Soorma Hockey Club, Ranchi Royals, SG Pipers, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, Tamil Nadu Dragons, and Vedanta Kalinga Lancers.

Liam Henderson was the top pick at the auction and was sold to Vedanta Kalinga Lancers for Rs. 42 lakh. While the Netherlands’ Sander de Wijn was sold to Tamil Nadu for Rs. 36 lakh, HIL Governing Council roped in Thies Prinz for Rs. 36 lakh.

Indian junior goalkeeper Vivek Lakra, initially listed at a base price of Rs. 2 Lakhs, surprised everyone as several franchises entered the bidding. In the end, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers signed him for an astounding Rs. 23 Lakhs, making it one of the most notable stories of the day.

Indian junior midfielder Adrohit Ekka, a highly sought-after talent, triggered a fierce bidding war between JSW Soorma Hockey Club and Tamil Nadu Dragons, with the Dragons eventually acquiring him for an impressive Rs. 11 lakh.

Indian junior forward Ajeet Yadav, registered in the auction at Rs. 2 lakh, was purchased by HIL Governing Council for a whopping Rs. 11.5 lakh.

While Tamil Nadu Dragons snapped up Indian junior midfielder Sushil Dhanwar at his base price of Rs. 2 lakh, the Netherlands’ defender Sander de Wijn, a marquee international stalwart, got SG Pipers and Tamil Nadu Dragons into a tight bidding war before the latter closed the deal at Rs. 36 lakh.

Australia forward Cooper Burns was sold to Vedanta Kalinga Lancers for Rs. 34.50 Lakhs after a close contest with SG Pipers, while the Lancers roped in Liam Henderson for Rs. 42 Lakhs after they won a bidding battle against the Pipers.

The 14-year-old Indian forward Ketan Kushwaha was among the youngest players in the pool and was bought by Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers for Rs. 2.5 Lakhs, marking a special moment for the budding talent.

Veteran Dragflicker and 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 lakh.

The auctions showcased franchises’ increasing focus on developing young Indian talent, with juniors like Ekka, Lakra, and Kushwaha attracting significant attention. Meanwhile, seasoned international players such as Sander de Wijn and Liam Henderson received high bids, emphasising the franchises’ aim to strike a balance between nurturing youth and maintaining international experience.

As the gavel fell on the final bids, the outline of the upcoming HIL 2026 season became clearer. Franchises now look forward to translating their auction tactics into performances on the turf when the league begins.

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), Nicolás 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 lakh), Sam Lane (Rs. 10 lakh), Jack Waller (Rs. 10 lakh), Ravneet Singh (Rs. 5 lakh).

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 lakh), Rupinder Pal Singh (Rs. 12 lakh), Bram Van Battum (Rs. 11 lakh).

Shrachi Rarh 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 Rühr (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 lakh), Ketan Kushwaha (Rs. 2.5 lakh), Ajinkya Jadhav (Rs. 2 lakh), Tom Grambusch (Rs. 10 lakh).

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 lakh), Sushil Dhanwar (Rs. 2 lakh), K Selvaraj (Rs. 2 lakh), Sander de Wijn (Rs. 36 lakh).

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 lakh), Amit Toppo (Rs. 2 lakh), Sunil PB (Rs. 2 lakh), Bobby Singh Dhami (Rs. 10 lakhs), Jed Snowden (Rs. 10 lakh), Cooper Burns (Rs. 34.50 lakh), Craig Marais (Rs. 10 lakh).

IANS