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The Indian Super League (ISL) is the most loved football tournament in India. The league was conceptualized in 2013 and the inaugural edition took place in 2014. It featured eight teams -- Atlético de Kolkata (now ATK), Chennaiyin, Delhi Dynamos, FC Goa, Kerala Blasters, Mumbai City FC, NorthEast United, FC Pune City -- with each of them playing in a double round robin format. Since then, the ISL has witnessed some of the greatest names in world football donning the jerseys of its clubs.
It will be interesting to do a roundup of all the four seasons and test our knowledge before the fifth edition kicks off.
#1 ISL 2014 (Champions - Atletico de Kolkata)
There were eight teams in the inaugural edition with each team playing the other twice in the league stage and having a total of 14 matches initially. Chennaiyin FC were the table toppers with 23 points to their name, with FC Goa, Atlético de Kolkata, and Kerala Blasters being the other three teams which secured the playoff spots.
The Marina Machans scored the maximum number of goals -- 24 -- in the league stage while Kerala Blasters were the team to concede the least number of goals at 11. ISL 2014 witnessed a lot of well-known Marquee players such as Luis García (ATK), Elano (Chennaiyin), Del Piero (Delhi), Robert Pires (Goa), and David James (Kerala) playing on Indian soil. Elano became the top scorer of the season with eight goals to his name. A total of 129 goals were scored in the 61 matches played, averaging 2.11 goals per game.
The semifinals were played in two legs. The first one was between Kerala Blasters and Chennaiyin FC while Atlético de Kolkata and FC Goa locked horns in the second.
While Kerala made it through to the finals courtesy of a 4-3 aggregate scoreline, the Kolkata-based franchise made it through by winning 4-2 on penalties after both the semifinal legs were dead rubbers and ended in 0-0 draws.
The summit clash was set up between Atletico de Kolkata and Kerala Blasters, which the former won by a slim 1-0 margin with Mohammed Rafique being the goal scorer. Mohammed also became the hero of the match.
The Canadian Iain Hume, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Stiven Mendoza, and Koke were some of the star performers of the inaugural edition.
The first season was a grand success and extremely well presented by the broadcasters. It left the Indian football fans wanting for more and eagerly waiting for the next one to kick off.
#2 ISL 2015 (Champions - Chennaiyin FC)
The much-awaited second season of the ISL began on 3rd October 2015 and concluded on December 20. This was a season which was high on octane and high on goals -- with 186 goals being scored in 61 matches, averaging 3.05 per game.
Roberto Carlos (Delhi), Nicolas Anelka (Mumbai City), and Hélder Postiga (ATK) were the prominent Marquee players of the 2015 ISL. FC Goa emerged as the table toppers with 7 wins, 4 draws, and 3 losses out of their 14 matches.
The Gaurs scored the maximum number of goals -- 29 -- while Chennaiyin conceded the least number of goals -- 15. Atlético de Kolkata, Chennaiyin, and Delhi were the other three teams to qualify for the playoffs in the same order. Goa and Chennaiyin played the summit clash after defeating Delhi and Kolkata in their respective semifinals.
The nail-biting final ended with Chennaiyin winning 3-2. There were 3 goals scored in the final 6 minutes of the match.
The game was evenly balanced with the score tied at 1-1 before Goa's Jofre scored in the 87th to give the Gaurs a 2-1 lead. There was a lot of drama as Kattimani of Goa scored an unfortunate own goal to make it 2-2 in the 90th minute. Stiven Mendoza of Chennaiyin made a brilliant solo run in the very next minute, went past three defenders, and slotted the ball home to seal the victory for the Marina Machans.
Subrata Pal, Iain Hume, Stiven Mendoza (top scorer of the league with 13 goals), and Sunil Chhetri were some of the star performers in the league.
#3 ISL 2016 (Champions - Atlético de Kolkata)
The third season saw eight teams battling for glory again. The first match was played on 1st October 2016, and the last on 20th December. There were a flurry of goals in this season as well, with 145 goals being scored in 61 matches.
Florent Malouda (Delhi) and Diego Forlán (Mumbai City) were the biggest Marquee players to step afoot Indian soil and play in the Indian Super League. Amrinder Singh of Mumbai City FC won the best goalkeeper award (180 minutes per goal).
Mumbai City FC were the table toppers this time around with six wins, five draws, and three losses in their 14 matches.
Kerala Blasters, Delhi Dynamos, Atletico de Kolkata were the other three teams to secure a place in the playoffs. Mumbai were eliminated by the eventual Champions -- Atletico de Kolkata -- while Kerala Blasters defeated Delhi Dynamos on penalties in their semifinal.
The summit clash was set up between two teams which garnered the largest fan following -- Atletico de Kolkata and Kerala Blasters. The Blasters went ahead in the first half with a goal from Mohammed Rafi in the 37th minute before Henrique Sereno equalized for the former Champions in the 44th minute.
It was the first final which went to penalties. Doutie, Fernández, Lara, and Raja netted from the spot to hand Kolkata a 4-3 win on penalties. The marathon final saw five yellow cards being shown but was also one of the most enjoyable matches in ISL history.
#4 ISL 2017-18 (Champions - Chennaiyin FC)
This was the first time two new teams -- namely Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC -- took part in the football Mundial. Bengaluru made a shift from the I-league while Jamshedpur FC was an entirely new team built from scratch.
The first match of the season was played on 17 November 2017 while the last match was played on March 4.
It was bound to be a long season as each team had to play 18 matches each in the league stage. A new rule was added in a bid to promote local talent. The number of foreign players which could be signed by a club was limited to eight (compared to the 11 during previous three seasons).
The maximum number of foreigners who could take the field at a time was also reduced from six to five.
A mind-boggling 261 goals were scored in the 95 matches played, averaging 2.75 goals per match. Ferran Corominas became the top scorer with 18 goals while Subrata Pal of Jamshedpur FC got the best goalkeeper award (102.74 minutes per goal).
Marcelinho, Emiliano Alfaro, Kalu Uche, Miku, Manuel Lanzarote, and Sunil Chhetri were the other standout performers of the league.
Bengaluru FC were undisputedly the best team in the league stage as they won 13, drew one, and lost four out of their 18 matches and finished on the top with 40 points. Chennaiyin, which came in at second in the league stage, had 32 points.
This wide gap of eight points between the first and second placed teams shows the dominance Bengaluru had in their first season itself. FC Goa and Pune City were the other two clubs to make it to the playoffs but both of them were eliminated, the former by Chennaiyin and the latter by Bengaluru.
The final was another cracker as Sunil Chhetri gave The Blues the lead in the ninth minute. However, it was Chennaiyin who were leading at halftime with a brace from Alves. Augosto netted another goal for the Marina Machans to seal the deal and ensure a second ISL trophy for them. Miku scored a consolation goal in the 92nd minute.
Each ISL season presents with it new challenges and emerging talents along with it. There are some players who steal the show and come into the limelight while some fail to make an impact. All-in-all, the ISL witnesses a lot of drama and the upcoming season promises to bring even more of that.
Who do you think will be the Champions of ISL 2018-19? Do share your opinion in the comments section below.
