ISL 2023-24: A Decade in Indian Football and Counting

thebeautifulgame

The Indian Super league is almost upon us. Now in its landmark 10th edition, the ISL is no more a franchise-based tournament; it is now the 'premier' football league of India. No more an entertainment machine which ran for a couple of months or so, it is now a ‘proper’ football league with a six month season. Gone are the days of celebrity owners, Bollywood extravaganza and semi-retired marquees. Now, after recognition from the AFC, a new roadmap, expansion of the teams and promotion from I-League to ISL (relegation is still a couple of seasons away), the ISL can be said to have well and truly evolved over the years.

The new season will begin on September 21 with the ‘Southern Derby’, when arch-rivals Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC face off at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. India top-flight league has expanded to 12 teams, with Punjab FC becoming the first I-League club to be promoted to the ISL. A total of 12 teams will be vying for top honours—Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC, East Bengal FC, FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, Jamshedpur FC, Kerala Blasters FC, Mohun Bagan Super Giants, Mumbai City FC, Northeast United FC, Odisha FC and Punjab FC. The matches will kick off at 8 PM, with the double headers on Saturdays starting at 5.30 PM. The ISL has a new broadcaster for this season, Viacom18 Media Private Limited having replaced Star Sports as the new broadcaster of the ISL, with free streaming on JioCinema. Mohun Bagan Super Giants are the defending champions, while Mumbai City are the League Shield winners.

The ISL promises to provide plenty of entertainment this year; a host of exciting clashes with a number of sub-plots are on offer. This season marks the return of three veteran and successful coaches in Indian football--Sergio Lobera, the only coach to have won both the ISL Cup and ISL shield, returns to helm Odisha FC while former Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat is set to try his fortune with East Bengal and Owen Coyle, after a stint in Scotland, returns to one of his former sides, Chennaiyin FC. Manolo Marquez, one of the chief architects of Hyderabad FC’s success, has joined FC Goa while new faces like Thangboi Singhto, Scott Cooper and Staikos Vergetis would add a new dimension to the league. On the players’ front, there is the usual mix of exciting Indian talent in Lallianzuala Chhangte, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Anwar Ali, Sivasakthi Narayanan and Parthib Gogoi and quality foreign players like Greg Stewart, Adrian Luna, Jonathan Moya, Slavko Damjanovic and Jason Cummings.

So guys, get ready to immerse yourself in football fever once again. It's time to say, 'Let's Football'!

This thread is to discuss all activities--pre-season matches, team news, matches during ISL, post-match analysis--except those related to transfer.

sam

ashindia

10 years of existence still none of the clubs have active youth teams or can claim to have produced any players. Sorry to be negative but ISL concentrates more on off the field things than the game itself

Deb_Ban

Forget youth team or system, none of the clubs have any physical presence. They appear only during the league season, make money, and disappear.

ashindia

Deb_Ban said:

Forget youth team or system, none of the clubs have any physical presence. They appear only during the league season, make money, and disappear.

Making money or saving black money and tax ? 

gopiajeesh

when there is no proper youth league why would any club invest in maintain a team 

indian_gooner

any news on VAR lite? if not, then Ivan Vukamovic's effort all drowned. Defnitely not want to see Refree no 1 Crystal John anywhere near KBFC matchdays.

thebeautifulgame

FT Kerala Blasters 2-1 Bengaluru FC

sam

indian_gooner said:

any news on VAR lite? if not, then Ivan Vukamovic's effort all drowned. Defnitely not want to see Refree no 1 Crystal John anywhere near KBFC matchdays.

I don't understand why they are not implementing VAR lite. Cost can't be the reason 

giridharan

They like the masala maybe ? Our Indian ref's are pure entertainment material.
Again I am not a FSDL employee before @goalkeepar comes and bashes me with accusations.

EastBengalPride

Howler from GSS led to BFC's defeat. Overall not impressed with BFC's foreign contingent.