The Hero Indian Super League 2022-23 is here, and it is the second part of the 2022-23 season in Indian football after the Durand Cup held from August 18 to September 19.
Current holders Hyderabad FC get their title defence underway on Mumbai City FC on October 9, while League shield winners Jamshedpur’s season begins with the hosting of Odisha FC on October 11.
The most high-profile fixture in Indian Super League history – the Kolkata derby – is scheduled for October 29 and February 25, 2023. ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal will play both games at Kolkata’s iconic Salt Lake City stadium.
A total of 117 league matches will be played in ISL 2022-23, ending on February 26. The playoffs and Indian Super League 2022-23 final will be held in March 2023.
As some may have guessed, the ISL has brought along a few noteworthy changes to the running of its newest season for one primary reason – the fans.
Latest changes in the ISL
First and foremost, the ISL will be staged in the presence of fans in the stadium after a gap of two years. All 11 participating teams will play matches in the traditional home-and-away format, with the games to be played from Thursday to Sunday every week.
Secondly, the playoffs for Hero Indian Super League 2022-23 will now be contested in a new format. Instead of the general four, the top six teams will be considered for the knockout phase.
While the top two teams will automatically qualify for the semi-finals, the sides finishing between third and sixth will clash in a single-leg playoff (eliminator) to bag the other two semi-final spots.
Top signings
Like in recent seasons, all teams have made some exciting additions to their rosters for Hero ISL 2022-23, from ATK Mohun Bagan strengthening their defences with signings like Asish Rai and Florentin Pogba to Mumbai City and FC Goa acquiring the services of Greg Stewart and Álvaro Vázquez to strengthen their respective attacks.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru FC can be called the biggest winners of the transfer window with the signatures of experienced players like Javi Hernández, Sandesh Jhingan and Roy Krishna.
Who plays first in ISL 9?
The ninth season of India’s premier football competition will begin on October 7, with Kerala Blasters taking on East Bengal at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi. This will be the first time since 2016 that the Blasters will face a different opponent (NorthEast United) in the ISL curtain raiser than ATK Mohun Bagan (formerly ATK).
Where to watch Indian Super League 2022-23?
The 2022-23 season of the Hero ISL will be telecast live and exclusive in India on the Star Sports network, while fans can also catch the live action on the streaming website Disney+ Hotstar and the JioTV app.
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