Hero Hockey India League is here and will start tonight at 8:00PM IST, with the opening match between Sardar Singh’s Delhi Waveriders and Jamie Dwyer’s Jaypee Punjab Warriors

The four-week long five-team tournament will feature 120 players from India and around the world in 34 matches including 4 knock-out stage matches. Four of the five teams will play semi-finals, which will be decided on the basis on standings in league stage to be played on home and away basis.
Here, we have brought you the summary of rules of the tournament:
1)    Matches will be played under ‘FIH Rules of Hockey‘ applicable from January 1, 2013, including own goal.
2)    Teams to play each other three times on home-and-away basis. Two of four third head-on match will at home and other two away.
3)    Points will be awarded as follows:
Win: Five (5) points
Draw: Two (2) points
Loss with goal difference of 2 or less goals: One (1) point
Loss with goal difference of 3 or more goals: Nil (0) points
4)    Top four teams from the pool stage qualify for the semi-finals. Winners from the semis play for the trophy and the losers for 3rd-4th place. If a shootout is forced in the knockout rounds, no more than 3 foreigners can be used by a team. The goalkeeper can be of any nationality.
5)      If at the end of the League two or more teams have the same number of points for any place, these teams will be ranked according to the following order:
(a) respective number of matches won;
(b) respective goal difference (goals for less goals against). A positive goal difference always takes precedence over a negative one;
(c) respective number of goals scored;
(d) the cumulative results of the three matches played between those two teams taking firstly the points won in the three matches, secondly the goal difference, and thirdly the number of goals scored.
6)    If more than two teams are involved, then a ranking based upon the results of the matches among (only) them shall determine their respective position (as above). If there remains equality, then the teams involved shall be ranked according to paragraphs 1.4(a), (b), (c), and (d) of this Appendix.
7)    Each match will have four quarters of 17.5 minutes each, with a 3.5-minute breather after the first and third quarter, while a 10-minute break follows the half-time whistle. Teams will change ends at half-time only.
8)    Each team will be allowed one time-out of 2 minutes during a match, but not during extra time and shoot outs.
9)    Each team can use a maximum of 20 players per match, but no less than 2 and no more than 5 foreigners, including the goalkeeper, can be on the field at one time.
10) The Video Umpire procedure will be used during the HHIL Play-off matches only, not during the regular HIL matches.
11) When a penalty corner is awarded, Umpires shall (to allow TV replays and for defenders to put on their body/head protective gear) allow not less than 45 seconds to elapse before allowing the penalty corner to commence.