The Punjab Hockey League (PHL), organized jointly by Roundglass and Hockey Punjab, has drawn strong support from India’s hockey greats, who believe the league is reshaping the future of the sport in the country. With a record prize money of INR 30 lakh — the highest-ever for youth hockey in India — and participation from teams across the nation, the PHL has set new benchmarks in grassroots development.

Former India forward and Arjuna Awardee Prabhjot Singh lauded the scale and vision of the tournament, calling it “the biggest platform for youngsters.”

“This league from Roundglass and Hockey Punjab is a brilliant initiative. When such a league happens, all of these juniors get a chance. To add to it, there’s a big prize money of INR 30 lakh, too. It’s a great platform for players to be ready for the big tournaments,” he said.

Prabhjot, who won the Junior Hockey World Cup title in 2001 and twice won the Asia Cup, emphasised that the annual nature of the league gives youngsters clarity and motivation.

“Earlier, players didn’t know what tournament to play. With this league, the players now know that it comes every year, so they prepare for it. They want to put their best foot forward here, so that it boosts their chances for selection in senior-level camps,” he stated.

Prabhjot even noted that if such a league had existed in his time, it could have extended players’ careers by several years. “If such a platform existed during our time, I think a player would’ve played for 4-5 more years. Earlier, only senior players got the chance to play such leagues. This league allows the juniors to play as well,” he said.

Hockey stalwart Baljit Singh stressed that the initiative would ripple beyond Punjab.

“It’s a great initiative. Indian hockey will get a boost with this initiative. Punjab’s hockey has been very rich, and now, other states can also benefit from our hockey culture. Such initiatives should be supported regularly so that India get great players consistently,” he said.

Baljit pointed out the significance of pan-India participation and the exposure it offers.

“We don’t usually have age-group tournaments of such massive scale. We’re seeing the level of Hockey India League with youngsters here, which is a great thing. When these youngsters go to HIL and other tournaments across the globe, they would realise that they’re already used to high-pressure situations.”

Former India skipper Rajpal Singh praised Roundglass for pushing the bar higher with each edition.

“It’s a very good initiative. The whole credit for it goes to Roundglass. They’ve undertaken responsibility to promote hockey, and they deserve credit for the improvement in the level from last season to the current one,” said the former captain.

Rajpal, an Arjuna Awardee, also highlighted the importance of both prize money and national representation.

“See, prize money is important. But what’s also important is that there is a pan-India participation this time. It’s a big thing. Junior players never had the platform to showcase their talent such as this,” he said.

With its growing reputation and recognition by Hockey India, the Punjab Hockey League is already being seen as a vital pathway for juniors aspiring to global stages. As Prabhjot summed it up: “This initiative from Roundglass and Punjab Hockey will inspire the other states to also start such leagues of their own.”

The Phase I of Punjab Hockey League 2025 concluded on Tuesday (September 9), with defending champions Roundglass Hockey Academy firmly at the top of the table with 20 points, sweeping seven wins in as many matches. The team from Sports Authority of India National Centre of Excellence, Sonipat (SAI, NCOE, Sonipat) is second with 18 points. The Phase II of the league begins on September 15 in Jalandhar.