Kolkata: India’s best World Cup finish in 52 years prompted an appeal from former India captain and goalkeeper Savita Punia, who wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media after the team’s historic campaign — asking him to help save the Women’s Hockey India League (WHIL).Hours after India finished fifth at the World Cup in Amstelveen on Thursday, Savita posted a series of messages on ‘X’, tagging the Prime Minister, union sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya, several other ministers, Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, sporting personalities and potential corporate backers.“Sir, our women just rewrote hockey history after 52 years. The league that built these players — the Women’s HIL — needs support to survive. A word from you could change its fate,” she wrote while tagging Modi.The timing of the appeal was significant. India had just completed one of their finest World Cup campaigns, beating world No. 5 Germany 3-1 to finish fifth — their best result since the inaugural World Cup in 1974, when they finished fourth.But while the result offered plenty to celebrate, Savita’s posts highlighted a concern away from the pitch — the uncertain future of WHIL. Savita believes the league is too important to allow it to disappear.“The WHIL is that platform. It creates opportunities, develops talent and builds the pipeline for future World Cup & Olympic stars,” she wrote in another post, before making a direct appeal to govt ministers: “Let’s ensure the girls coming through today have a league to dream of playing in tomorrow.”The India captain also reached out to some of the country’s biggest sporting and entertainment names, asking them to use their influence to bring visibility and potential sponsors to women’s hockey.Tagging Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Ananya Birla, she wrote: “Women’s hockey needs your voice right now. A single tweet from you could bring sponsors and visibility back to WHIL.”She also appealed to Reliance Foundation and Nita Ambani, pointing to their work in grassroots sport and Olympic talent development. “Women’s HIL is exactly the kind of grassroots-to-elite pipeline that needs a backer like this right now,” she wrote.Savita did not forget those who have already supported the women’s game. She thanked Parth Jindal and JSW, along with the Delhi Pipers and Bengal Tigers ownership groups, for standing behind women’s hockey and urged others to follow their example.The message running through her posts was stark: the success India enjoyed in Netherlands cannot be taken for granted.“The math is simple: no league → no talent pool → no next generation → no World Cup medal,” Savita wrote. “Our women got India’s best finish in 52 years WITH a struggling league. Imagine what’s possible if we actually invest in it.”For a team that has just shown it can compete with the world’s best, Savita’s appeal is ultimately about making sure the next generation gets the same opportunity — and that the pathway to the national team does not disappear just when Indian women’s hockey appears to be moving forward.
