ROYAL ENFIELD Ice Hockey League (REIHL) has returned to Ladakh for its third season, which got underway on 29 January and will run until 14 February at the Nawang Dorjay Stobdan (NDS) Stadium. Season 3 marks the League’s most ambitious edition yet, featuring an expanded schedule.
Spread across 17 days, the tournament will follow a full round-robin format in both the men’s and women’s categories, ensuring every team faces each other during the league stage.
From 29 January to 11 February, the league phase will host four to five matches daily, including four men’s games and one women’s fixture, providing sustained competitive exposure across teams. The final day of the league stage will feature a series of decisive matches in both categories, setting up the knockout rounds.
The semi-finals are scheduled for 12 February, with the top four teams from each category advancing. The first-ranked team will take on the fourth-ranked side in Semi-final 1, followed by the second versus third encounter in Semi-final 2. The women’s final will be held on 13 February at 11:00 am, with the men’s final scheduled for 14 February at 11:00 am, concluding the season.
The previous edition attracted over 10,000 spectators across the tournament, including more than 7,000 fans at the finals, firmly establishing the NDS Stadium as one of Ladakh’s most vibrant winter sports venues. With a longer match calendar and a complete round-robin format this season, the League is expected to further boost fan engagement and community involvement, according to the media release.
Season 3 also represents the competitive outcome of a wider technical development program launched in late 2025, centred on coach education, referee training, and grassroots talent identification across Ladakh and neighbouring regions. Local coaches trained through the initiative have worked closely within their communities throughout the winter to prepare teams for structured league competition, strengthening the pathway from grassroots participation to organised sport.
