Overseas players and coaches think the Hockey India League (HIL) will do wonders for the game in India and the corporate owners of the franchises see it as serious business as well as a social responsibility.

It is too presumptuous to entertain hopes that HIL will soon make India a pre-eminent hockey nation, restoring the pristine glory of its past. But if the franchises can break-even in four years, as they claim, it will surely be good for both their business and sport.