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The new season of the Indian Super League (ISL) is all set to kick off in Goa on November 20th, and is bringing with it a whole new set of rules and regulations for teams.
While it is now common knowledge that the entire tournament is being played in Goa due to health and safety reasons around Covid-19, some other changes too have been made. These include number of players allowed in a single squad, salary caps, as well as regulations surrounding the number of foreign players.
When it comes to squad size, the ISL has greatly relaxed rules, allowing teams to register up to 35 players, compared to the 25 players that the league allowed teams to register last season.
More Indian players can get professional first-team contracts in ISL Season 7
The increased squad size will not just be to the benefit of teams, but it also means that more Indian players will get a chance to earn professional first-team contracts this season. As many as 28 Indian players can be registered by a single club, along with seven foreigners.
Out of the seven foreigners, it is mandatory for one of those to be from an Asian country - more specifically, an AFC-affiliated football association. This is a rule that was introduced specifically for this season, with clubs participating in continental competitions like the AFC Cup and AFC Champions League. It has been done to ease the transition into those competitions.
The general rules of the tournament remain the same. Each team plays each other twice (home and away, depending on their designated stadiums), with three points for a win, none for a loss and one point for a draw. The top four teams then go on to qualify for a two-legged play-off tie, out of which the finalists are then determined.
The first match of the ISL 2020-21 will be between Kerala Blasters and ATK Mohun Bagan on November 20.
