23 October 2026Haryana Hurricanes Media5 min read

Building a Championship Culture: How Naveen Rathi Is Redefining Franchise Ownership in Indian Volleyball

The Vision & Philosophy of Team Owner Naveen Rathi

When the Volleyball Champions League (VCL) launched its first season in 2026, every franchise needed an owner willing to bet on a sport that has long lived in the shadow of cricket. For Haryana, that owner is Naveen Rathi. This is the story of who Naveen Rathi is, why he backed volleyball, and what kind of franchise he is building with Haryana Hurricanes.

Naveen Rathi: Quick Facts

Role: Owner, Haryana Hurricanes
League: Volleyball Champions League (VCL), inaugural season 2026
Other role: Member, ZRUCC, East Central Railway
Roots: Haryana
Head Coach under his ownership: Vipin Tyagi
Season 1 result: VCL 2026 semi-finalists

Who Is Naveen Rathi?

Naveen Rathi is the Owner of Haryana Hurricanes, the franchise that represents Haryana in the VCL. He also serves as a Member of the Zonal Railway Users' Consultative Committee (ZRUCC) for East Central Railway. Speaking to the media during the season, he made the link between himself and the team simple: he belongs to Haryana, and he wanted a team that carried the state's name and its energy onto the national stage.

His public profile in volleyball took off at the VCL 2026 auction in Ahmedabad, where the Hurricanes made the record ₹27 lakh signing of Chirag Yadav. We cover that in detail in Inside Naveen Rathi's VCL Auction Strategy.

Why He Backed a Franchise in the Inaugural VCL

Haryana has given India champions in wrestling, boxing, kabaddi and athletics. Volleyball is played on village grounds and school courts across the state, but players have had few professional platforms to grow. A franchise in a televised national league changes that. As the About Haryana Hurricanes page puts it, the aim was never to build just another team but to start a movement around Haryana's speed, strength and sporting spirit.

His Ownership Philosophy: Platform, Guidance, Opportunity

Three ideas run through everything the franchise says about its purpose:

A bigger platform: Give talented players a stage where they are seen by fans, coaches and selectors across India, with every match broadcast on DD Sports, Sony Sports Ten 3, Sony LIV and Waves OTT.
The right guidance: Surround players with a professional coaching team led by Vipin Tyagi and Ankur Sharma, and proper preparation such as the pre-season training camp in Dehradun.
Real opportunities: Build an ecosystem where a talented young player from Haryana can turn a dream into a career.

That thinking is explored further in our earlier piece, Building Champions Beyond The Court.

Trusting the Players: Leadership Without Pressure

Rathi's style is hands-on in planning and hands-off on court. He has said he watched the team closely from the start and deliberately mixed senior players with young talent. His message to the squad before the tournament, and again before the Super 6, was to play their natural game, stop worrying about winning or losing, and trust their own ability. Read the full story of that run in Naveen Rathi's playoff philosophy.

A Vision for Haryana's Next Generation

The franchise's stated mission is to make volleyball a premier sporting culture across Haryana and to nurture elite talent. In practice, that means looking beyond one season: finding players on local courts, giving them coaching and exposure, and bringing the best into the professional game. We look at what that pathway could look like in Beyond VCL Season 1: Grassroots Volleyball in North India.

Year One in Numbers

Record ₹27 lakh signing at the VCL 2026 auction
Five straight wins after the opening match
Super 6 wins over Punjab AeroStrikers and Emperia Marathas
A semi-final spot in the inaugural VCL season

Full set scores are on the Haryana Hurricanes fixtures and results page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Naveen Rathi?

Naveen Rathi is the Owner of Haryana Hurricanes, Haryana's franchise in the Volleyball Champions League (VCL), and a Member of ZRUCC, East Central Railway.

Who is the owner of Haryana Hurricanes?

Naveen Rathi owns Haryana Hurricanes.

Is Naveen Rathi from Haryana?

Yes. He has said he belongs to Haryana, which is why the team carries the state's name.

How did Haryana Hurricanes perform in their first season?

The Hurricanes reached the semi-finals of VCL 2026, winning five matches in a row along the way.

About the Owner

Naveen Rathi

Owner, Haryana Hurricanes | Member, ZRUCC, East Central Railway

Naveen Rathi is the Owner of Haryana Hurricanes, Haryana's franchise in the Volleyball Champions League (VCL) India, and a Member of ZRUCC, East Central Railway. He led the franchise through the VCL 2026 auction and its debut season, taking the Hurricanes to the semi-finals. Read the full Haryana Hurricanes story.