Rani, who will mentor and coach the Soorma Hockey Club, said starting the league is important, even if it has only four teams now. She praised Hockey India for making it happen and said the men’s Hockey India League helped the men’s team do well in the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. She hopes the Women’s HIL will help young players succeed in future Olympics and grow the sport.
The Hockey India League first started in 2013 with six men’s teams but stopped in 2018 due to money problems. Now it has restarted after seven years and includes a women’s league. Rani compared it to the Women’s Premier League (WPL) in cricket, which made cricket more popular, and hopes the Women’s HIL will also make hockey more famous.
Rani also wished former goalkeeper PR Sreejesh luck as the coach of the Indian junior hockey team. She said his 20 years of experience will help young players perform well under pressure. Talking about her coaching, Rani said she wants to guide young players emotionally and mentally and help them do their best during the league.
