Hero HIL 2026 Men’s Squads, Set: Henderson to the Lancers, Lakra the Surprise, and a Council-Run Eighth Team
The squads are locked, the strategies are showing, and January can’t come soon enough. At last month’s Hero HIL 2026 men’s mini-auction in New Delhi, eight franchises built their 20-player squads with a ₹4 crore salary cap each — and a few of the bids told you exactly where this league is heading.
Liam Henderson, ₹42 lakh to Vedanta Kalinga Lancers. The most expensive buy of the auction. The Australian midfielder was the name everyone wanted, and the Lancers made sure he got them. If you want to dominate the middle of the park, that’s how you start.
The Lancers didn’t stop there. Australian forward Cooper Burns came in at ₹34.5 lakh, and with Craig Marais and Jed Snowden also in the haul, their squad looks deep and built for a title push.
Sander de Wijn, ₹36 lakh to Tamil Nadu Dragons. One of the fiercest bidding wars of the day for the Dutch defender, and the Dragons’ intent is clear: sort the defence, pair him with young Indian talent like Adrohit Ekka (₹11 lakh, won in a tug-of-war with JSW Soorma) and Sushil Dhanwar (₹2 lakh). That’s a well-rounded squad.
Thies Prinz, ₹36 lakh to the HIL Governing Council. Yes, the Council is running a team — it took over the UP Rudras franchise this season to keep the league at eight teams until a new owner is found. Prinz gives them genuine overseas pedigree alongside stalwarts like Sebastian Dockier and Kane Russell.
The juniors stole the show
The headline wasn’t just the money. It was who the money went to.
Vivek Lakra, ₹23 lakh to Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers. A teenage Indian goalkeeper who walked in at a ₹2 lakh base price and left as the auction’s surprise package, more than ten times his base. Goalkeepers are gold in modern hockey, and the bidding reflected it.
Ketan Kushwaha, ₹2.5 lakh to Bengal Tigers. Fourteen years old. One of the youngest players ever picked in the HIL, and he’ll share a dressing room with Olympians. Whatever happens in January, that signing is a story.
Ajeet Yadav (₹11.5 lakh, Governing Council) and Ekka and Dhanwar round out a junior class that franchises clearly see as the future, not just filler.
And experience still had its price: Rupinder Pal Singh, who captained the Bengal Tigers to last season’s title, moved to SG Pipers for ₹12 lakh. His drag-flicking and leadership in a young squad is exactly the kind of signing that wins tight games. Pipers also added Roman Duvekot, while the Tigers balanced their youth haul with internationals like Tom Grambusch.
The state of play
Eight teams, 20-player squads, a maximum of seven overseas players and a minimum of three juniors each. The pattern from the auction is obvious: big foreign names drive the spectacle, but the real investment is in Indian youth. Goalkeepers, drag-flickers and teenagers — that’s the modern HIL shopping list.
For our money, the Lancers look the strongest on paper and the Tigers the most interesting: a defending champion betting on a teenage keeper and a 14-year-old. The women’s auction this week leaned on Argentine stars; the men’s season has been on the books since September. When both take the field in January, we’ll see which blueprint works.
Related: Hero HIL Women’s Auction: Agustina Gorzelany Goes for ₹42 Lakh as Argentine Stars Top the Bidding, Nyayadhani Knights Beat Rajdhani Royals 2-1 on Chhattisgarh Hockey League Opening Night, Murugappa Gold Cup Day 1: Tamil Nadu and SAI-NCOE Trade Eight Goals in a 4-4 Chennai Thriller, Leagues
