Is this the beginning of the rise of Indian football?
- India participating in and hosting the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
- Indian Super League expanding from 8 to 10 teams.
- ISL season duration expanding from 2 to 4 months.
- Highest ever number of local players this season.
Optimism will be at its highest level for football fans all around India today, and over the next few weeks as the fourth season of the Indian Super League is all set to kick off. The league has been completely revamped and many changes will be be seen this year.
To begin with, the league has expanded – all in terms of players, teams and even duration. In the past three seasons, we’ve got used to seeing 8 teams participating, over a period of 2 months. This years, 8 teams becomes 10, while 2 months becomes 4 months.
- New teams: Bengaluru FC, Jamshedpur FC
- ISL 2017-18 duration: 17th November 2017 to 17th March 2018
History
The inaugural edition of the Indian Super League was hosted in 2013, and was won by Atletico de Kolkata, who are also the most successful team in the ISL history, having won the 2016 edition as well; they enter this season as defending champions.
The second season was won by Chennaiyin FC, beating FC Goa in a complete turnaround final, and I believe that was one of the best games in the history of the ISL. However, this year promises to bring in quite a few more surprises and good battles.
List of all teams:
The 10 teams represent different regions of the country of India, and they all have their own home ground, the biggest being that of Kolkata, and the smallest being in Pune. Here are the teams that will participate in the 2017-18 Indian Super League:
- Atletico de Kolkata
- Bengaluru FC
- Chennaiyin FC
- Delhi Dynamos
- FC Goa
- Jamshedpur FC
- Kerala Blasters
- Mumbai City FC
- Northeast United
- FC Pune City
Changes
Along with the length of the season being increased, an important change made was the team composition when it comes to foreign players. A huge change made was decreasing the total number of foreign players in each team from 11 to 8, while the total that can be on the pitch at one time was also decreased from 6 to 5.
With the recent hype created around the country over the FIFA U-17 World Cup, this season of the ISL could have the most number of viewers, and it could also be the best season for emerging Indian talent, as we are definitely going to be seeing many new faces this season.
Live Streaming
Of course, there’s always the question of whether or not you will be in front of your television for your favourite games. No worries, as we at Read Scoops have the perfect live streaming solution, that has no fees or charges involved.
For those fans in countries that don’t broadcast the ISL as well, you can use this – Enjoy Live Sports Streaming Only With 1xBet. Do read the steps involved carefully to be able to get your live streaming enabled for free.
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