HIL's player of the tournament prize doubled to Rs.50 lakh

The player of the tournament in the fourth edition of the Coal India Hockey India League (HIL) will get Rs.50 lakh, a jump of Rs.25 lakh from the last edition, Hockey India announced on Wednesday.

Hockey India also announced that the "Man of the Match" award will be increased from Rs.25,000 to Rs.50,000 and will be awarded by the host franchises in each of their home matches. Similarly, the "Goal of the Match" will also see a hike of Rs.25,000 to Rs.50,000 and will be presented in each match.

Further tournament awards include the "Upcoming Player of the Tournament" award of Rs 20 lakh to the best Under-21 player and the "Maximum Goal Award" also for Rs 20 lakh -- a hike of Rs.10 lakh -- to the player who scores the most goals.

The winning team will take home a whopping Rs.2.50 crore while the runners-up will walk away with Rs.1.75 crore. A cash reward of Rs.75 lakh will be awarded to the team finishing third in the tournament.

The six franchises battling for supremacy in the richest field hockey league in the world are Jaypee Punjab Warriors, Delhi Waveriders, Kalinga Lancers, Uttar Pradesh Wizards, Dabang Mumbai and defending champions Ranchi Rays. The tournament will begin on Monday.