The Indian Hockey Federation today formally announced the creation of a Premier Hockey League after three years’ planning. And while it aims to take hockey into a different paradigm, it has left open several questions about the working of the league.Beginning on January 13, the PHL — an annual affair, the Nationals now being held every two years — will be telecast live on ESPN. There are 10 teams, with fancy names ‘‘to attract the viewers’’, in two tiers and the plan is to double that number.There are also plans to make the league interactive, bring in celebrities to attract people, and introduce state-of-the-art technology to make the telecasts more viewer-friendly.The matches, spread over six weeks, will follow a round-robin format and will be held at Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad and telecast over the weekend from Thursday to Sunday at primetime on ESPN. There are also plans to take the league to other cities, ‘‘once the infrasturcture at places like Delhi, Chennai and Lucknow are upgraded’’.However, the IHF is not yet sure of the players themselves. ‘‘They will be selected from a pool of players for the first year, and we will be looking to refine the process from the next year’’, Gill said. However, he couldn’t explain which players would form the pool in he first place.There is also the problem of Indian players already on contract with the foreign leagues. While the IHF said they would be free to continue, ESPN has indicated that the leading Indian pleyrs will reserve themselves for the PHL.Money is another grey area. While ESPN managing director RC Venkateish said the players would be given ‘‘monetary obligations’’ under the contracts drawn, there is no idea where all the money — Rs 71 lakhs as total prize money, besides the players’ pay — will come from. Sponsors are being approached, it is learnt.Also, despite attempts to make the league commercially viable, the teams’ management will remain under the respective state associations. The state associations will also have a stake in the prize money. Interestingly, the details about the exact role of state associations in the league is yet to be finalised, with the IHF planning to hold a meeting of all associations soon. ‘‘It’s a trial effort’’, Gill said. ‘‘But we will continue with the PHL even if it is not very successful in the first year.’’The teams Tier I- Sher-e-Jallandhar (Capt: Gagan Ajit Singh), Maratha Warriors (Viren Rasquinha), Hyderabad Sultans (Dilip Tirkey), Bangalore High-Fliers (Arjun halappa), Chennai Veerans (Ignace Tirkey).Tier II-Delhi Dazzlers, Lucknow Nawas, Imphal Rangers, Bengal Tigers, Chandigarh Dynamos (captains to be announced soon) TWENTY20 MEETS ASTROTURF
