The drawn out retooling of the Indian Super League (ISL) has today taken its first step towards completion as two new clubs were inducted into the popular franchise league earlier today.
Bengaluru FC and a team owned by Tata Steel are the new ISL clubs for next season. A tweet sent out by ISL’s official Twitter handle read: “OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Tata Steel and @TheJSWGroup win bids for two new Hero ISL teams! #HeroISL #LetsFootball”
It was widely expected following Football Sports Development Limited’s floating of the “Invitation to Bid” document on 12th May that one to three clubs will be part of the cash-rich ISL next season.
The final decision has now been taken after much consideration and Bengaluru FC and Tata Steel’s club have been handed the elusive passage to become ISL clubs starting from the 2017–18 season.
Bids from 10 Indian cities were invited for the tendering process, which came to an end on 25th May. While Ahmedabad, Cuttack, Durgapur, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ranchi, Siliguri and Thiruvananthapuram missed out, Bengaluru and Jamshedpur will field ISL teams henceforth.
The result of the bid process was presented by business consulting firm Ernst & Young after an evaluation process that lasted a fortnight.
With the advent of two more teams in the ISL next season, the league will have 90 matches in its first stage before five more matches in the final stage that includes the two-legged semi-finals and the final at a pre-decided venue.
That is a steep increase from the 61-match schedule the ISL had had over its past three seasons. The league is also set to be extended over a period of six to seven months, once again moving away from its earlier model of a three-month tournament.
With an AFC Cup slot for the ISL winners all but confirmed, Bengaluru FC’s arrival in the ISL scene will breathe a new lease of life into the private league managed by IMG-Reliance. The two-time I-League champions have won a trophy every year since their inception and will look to continue their golden run in the ISL as well.
The other club, which will be owned by Tata Steel, will be based out of Jamshedpur.
