Star Indian forward Vandana Katariya believes the inaugural Women’s Hockey India League will strengthen the talent flow to the national team, besides offering the players a never-before opportunity to “mingle with international players.”

Returning after a seven-year hiatus, the league, to be held from December 28 to February 5, will feature a women’s competition for the first time.

“As everyone can see in the previous editions, the men’s team got a chance to mingle with international players, raise their confidence levels and it has helped the team immensely and they are getting medals on a consistent basis now,” Vandana said in an HIL release.