Mohali, July 23 (IANS) The second edition of the Punjab Hockey League (PHL) will commence from August 31, with a total prize pool of INR 30 Lakhs, the largest ever for a junior-level hockey tournament in the country.

The league, organized jointly by Roundglass and Hockey Punjab, aims to provide extensive match exposure to players from the grassroots level and contribute meaningfully to their professional and personal development.

Eight academy teams from across the country will participate in the league, which will be conducted in two phases. The inaugural edition of the Punjab Hockey League featured six teams from Punjab competing in a home-and-away format across two phases.

The first phase this year is scheduled from August 31 to September 9 at the Mohali International Hockey Stadium. The second phase, along with the finals, will take place at the Surjit Hockey Stadium in Jalandhar from September 15-27, with the finals slated for September 27.

Sharing his thoughts on the Punjab Hockey League, Nitin Kohli, President of Hockey Punjab, said, “The Punjab Hockey League marks a significant step forward in nurturing young hockey talent across the state. By offering regular, structured competition, it not only provides essential match exposure for developing players but also encourages tactical innovation among coaches. With every team playing 14 matches, the format ensures both growth and consistency. We are confident that this league will become a milestone in our journey to strengthen grassroots hockey in Punjab and inspire similar initiatives across India.

The prize money will be distributed among all eight teams based on their final rankings. Each team is permitted to register up to 20 players, including three players from the Under-21 category and 17 players from the Under-19 category.

Through this collaborative initiative, Roundglass and Hockey Punjab reaffirm their shared commitment to elevating grassroots hockey and nurturing the next generation of talent in India.

Speaking on the development, Gurpreet Sunny Singh, Founder, Roundglass said, “Roundglass Hockey is on a mission to rebuild India’s passion for field hockey and organizing the Punjab Hockey League for juniors in such a big scale will take us closer to our goal. It marks an important milestone in promoting hockey at the grassroots level in the country and uplifting the level of young hockey players by exposing them to more competitive games.”

–IANS

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