Shocking omissions mark second day of HIL auction

Shocking rejections and bidding wars dominate day two of the HIL auction, with top buys including Victor Wegnez.

A few shocking rejections and some tough bidding wars for youngsters was the template on day two of the Hockey India League (HIL) auction for the men even as the women’s competition was forced to be cut to a four-team event, at least for the first year, on Monday.

While Belgian midfielder Victor Wagnez was the most expensive buy on the day, going for ₹40 lakh to JSW-owned Soorma Hockey Club, compatriot Arthur van Doren went for ₹32 lakh and Dutchman Thierry Brinkman for ₹38 lakh. But the overseas players who went unsold, including some big names, outnumbered the ones that got lucky.

These included Germany’s 2023 World Cup-winning captain Mats Grambusch and experienced English forward Sam Ward besides a host of Australians, including veteran Eddie Ockenden and Jack Welch. There were some shocking omissions among senior Indian players too, including the likes of S.V. Sunil and S.K. Uthappa, key members of the Indian team not so long ago.

More surprisingly, the likes of Yuvraj Walmiki and Chinglensana Singh – both still active on the domestic circuit as players while also being national selectors – too went unsold; so did Ramandeep Singh and Dharamvir Singh. A closed bid at the end of the auction, if sought by the franchises, might still hold hope for some of them but with most of the teams having completed their full quota of 24 players, the chances are slim.

In contrast, there was hectic bidding for a few youngsters with Moriangthem Rabichandra becoming the highest bid of the lot, going for ₹32 lakh to Kalinga Lancers. The likes of junior World Cup captain Uttam Singh and stars Angad Bir Singh and Rajendra too went for much more than their base price – Uttam, with a starting price of ₹5 lakh, was snapped up by Tamil Nadu for ₹29 lakh while Angad and Rajendra, starting at a modest ₹2 lakh each, went for ₹26 lakh and ₹23 lakh respectively, almost 13 times their base value.

The uncertainty around the women’s competition ever since Hockey India managed to name only four teams while announcing the franchises was confirmed as the officials revealed that the first season will feature only four. Hyderabad Toofans, which has a men’s team too, and BC Jindal Group will come on board from Season 2.

Top buys (day two):