Former captain Rani Rampal, who was the ‘poster girl’ of Indian women’s hockey, described the start of the women’s league as a milestone for the game in the country and said that she had been waiting for it for years and now not as a player but as a coach. But still she is feeling proud to be associated with it.
Rani, who was the captain of the Indian team that finished historic fourth in the Tokyo Olympics 2021, will be the mentor and coach of Surma Hockey Club of Punjab and Haryana in the Hockey India Women’s League, which is being started for the first time in the country. “Hockey is my passion,” Rani said on the sidelines of the players’ auction for the women’s league here. Whatever time I played, I played with passion. I always had it in my mind that whatever opportunity I get to join Indian hockey, I will definitely accept it. Hockey was always on my mind.
The 30-year-old Padma Shri awardee, who has scored 134 goals in 212 matches for India, said, “I tried hard to make a comeback in the national team but it could not happen before the Olympics. We have waited many years for this women’s league and when it starts, it feels great to join not only as players but also as coaching staff.
When asked if she did not wish to play in the league, Rani said that sometimes difficult decisions have to be taken, although she did not reveal anything about her retirement from the game. She said, “I am a female player and I have faced a lot of struggle. A player is always a player. The desire to play never ends. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions and I decided to join the coaching staff.”
He said, “It is difficult to talk about retirement right now.” Now I will face a new challenge in the league and after that I will take a final decision.” Terming her failure to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024 as a blow for women’s hockey in India, the former captain said that forgetting the past, she will now look forward to the 2026 Asian Games and The focus will be on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. He also said that India has a capable coach in Harendra Singh who can fulfill the dream of a podium finish.
This player, who hails from Shahbad, Haryana, said, “Finishing fourth place in the Tokyo Olympics was a big moment. It took many years for this and the players, federation and coaches had worked very hard. We did not qualify for Paris 2024 which was a huge blow but in sports there are new lessons every day. Winning and losing are part of the game.” This great striker said, ”No team wants to lose. We cannot change the past but now have to look to 2028. The first target should be to qualify directly for the Olympics by winning gold in the 2026 Asian Games. Women’s league can be very helpful in preparing the pool of players.
He said, “Harendra sir has returned as coach with whom I have played a lot of hockey. The biggest advantage with him is that he knows our culture. Many of our players come from rural areas and they understand when we talk to them in Hindi. He said, Harendra Sir always thinks of winning for the country and instills the same feeling in the players. It is a huge medium to touch the hearts of the players and we are sure that with Harendra sir, the team will do well in 2028.
Rani admitted that the purse for the auction in the first season of the women’s league is small but expressed hope that in the future more franchises will join the league and the money will also increase. He said, “The purse for the auction is definitely less but it is difficult to start anything.” Same is the case for Hockey India but if the impact of the league is good then hopefully more teams will come forward and the purse will also increase. Our players come from very ordinary backgrounds so this league will help a lot financially.
The four teams in the first season of HIL Women’s League are Surma Hockey Club, Bengal Tigers, Delhi SG Pipers and Odisha Warriors. Teams have been given a limit of Rs 2 crore in the auction while players have been given three base prices of Rs 10 lakh, Rs 5 lakh and Rs 2 lakh.
