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I-League

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I-League
Organising bodyAIFF
Founded2007; 17 years ago (2007) (as I-League; succeeding the National Football League)
CountryIndia
ConfederationAFC
Number of clubs12
Level on pyramid2
Promotion toIndian Super League
Relegation toI-League 2
Domestic cup(s)Super Cup[1]
Durand Cup
Current championsMohammedan (1st title)
Most championshipsDempo (3 titles)
Top goalscorerRanti Martins (214 goals)
TV partnersSony Sports (TV)
SSEN (Digital)
Websitei-league.org
Current: 2024–25 I-League

The I-League is the men's second professional football division of the Indian football league system behind the Indian Super League. Administered by the All India Football Federation, it is currently contested by 12 clubs. It operates as a system of promotion and relegation with the Indian Super League (ISL) and the I-League 2.[2]

The competition was founded in 2007 as the successor to the National Football League, with the first season starting in November 2007.[3][4] The league was launched as India's first top-tier professional football league with the aim to increase the player pool for the India national team.[4] I-League operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the I-League 2 and at first only promotion system with the ISL, from the 2022–23 season.[4]

Since the inception of the I-League, a total of ten clubs have been crowned champions. Dempo have won the most titles in league history, being crowned champions three times. Churchill Brothers, Mohun Bagan, Bengaluru and Gokulam Kerala have won the league twice.[5] Salgaocar, Aizawl, Minerva Punjab, Chennai City, Roundglass Punjab and Mohammedan have won it once.

History

Origins

In 1996, the first domestic league was started in India, known as the National Football League,[6] in an effort to introduce professionalism in Indian football.[6] Despite that ambition, that has not been achieved to this date. During the National Football League days, the league suffered from poor infrastructure and unprofessionalism from its clubs. One of the clubs in the league, FC Kochin, went defunct in 2002 after it was revealed that the club had not paid salaries since 2000, after making up 2.5 crores of losses in a season.[7]

After a decade of decline with the National Football League, the All India Football Federation decided it was time for a change. This resulted in the modern day iteration of the top-tier in India.[8]

Formation

After the 2006–07 NFL season, it was announced that it would be rebranded as the I-League for the 2007–08 season.[9] The league's first season consisted of eight teams from the previous NFL campaign and two teams from the 2nd Division to form a 10 team league.[9] Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), the title sponsors of the previous NFL, were named as the title sponsors of the I-League before the league kicked off in November 2007.[10] The league also announced a change in their foreign-player restrictions with the new rule being that all the clubs could sign four foreigners – three non-Asian and one which must be Asian.[11] The league also announced that, for the first season, matches will be broadcast on Zee Sports.[12]

The original ten clubs in the I-League's first season were Air India, Churchill Brothers, Dempo, East Bengal, JCT, Mahindra United, Mohun Bagan, Salgaocar, Sporting Goa and Viva Kerala.

The early seasons (2007–2012)

The first I-League match took place on 24 November 2007 between Dempo and Salgaocar. The match, which took place at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao, ended 3–0 in favour of Dempo with Chidi Edeh scoring the first goal in league history in the third minute.[13] After eighteen rounds it was Dempo who came out as the first champions in the I-League.[14] Viva Kerala and Salgaocar, however, ended up as the first two teams to ever be relegated from the I-League.[15]

The next season the I-League was expanded from 10 to 12 teams. Mumbai, Chirag United, Mohammedan, and Vasco were all promoted from the I-League 2 to make the expansion possible.[16] This however brought up early concerns over how "national" the I-League was. The 2008–09 season would see eleven of the twelve teams come from three different cities. The previous season saw all ten teams come from four different cities.[16] Bhaichung Bhutia, then captain of the India national team, said that it was the federations job to spread the game across the country and that it needed to happen.[16]

Regardless of the early criticism, the I-League went on as scheduled and once the 2008–09 season concluded. it was Churchill Brothers who came out on top.[17] Then, before the 2009–10 season, the league was once again expanded from 12 teams to 14. In order to make this happen Salgaocar, Viva Kerala, Pune, and Shillong Lajong were all promoted from the 2nd Division to the I-League.[18] This helped the I-League retain some criticism about how national the league was as now the league would be played in seven different cities/states: Goa, Kerala, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Punjab, and Shillong.[18]

After the 2009–10 season it was Dempo who came out on top for the second time in I-League history.[14]

Conflict of parties

On 9 December 2010 the All India Football Federation signed a 15-year, 700-crore deal with Reliance Industries and International Management Group of the United States.[19] The deal gave IMG-Reliance exclusive commercial rights to sponsorship, advertising, broadcasting, merchandising, video, franchising, and rights to create a new football league.[19] This deal came about after the AIFF ended their 10-year deal with Zee Sports five years early.[20]

Two months later, on 8 February 2011, it was reported that twelve of the fourteen I-League clubs held a private meeting in Mumbai to discuss the ongoing issues related to the league.[21] It was never revealed what was exactly talked about at this meeting.[21] Then, on 22 February, it was announced that the same twelve I-League clubs that attended the meeting would not be signing the AFC–licensing papers needed to play in the I-League.[22] The reasoning for this was because the I-League clubs were not happy over the fact that IMG-Reliance had so far done nothing to promote the I-League and that they demanded the I-League be made a separate entity from both the AIFF and IMG-Reliance.[22] At this time however there were rumours that IMG-Reliance had been planning on revamping the I-League along the same lines as Major League Soccer of the United States for the 2012–13 season.[22]

On 11 March 2012, following the disbanding of two former I-League clubs – JCT and Mahindra United, it was announced that the I-League clubs would be forming their own organization known as the Indian Professional Football Clubs Association (IPFCA) in order to safeguard their interest and promote football in India.[23] Every club, except for HAL and AIFF–owned Pailan Arrows, joined the newly formed organization.[23] Soon after, it was announced that there would be a meeting held between the AIFF, IMG-Reliance, and the IPFCA on 20 April 2012. In this meeting, IMG-Reliance would present their plan on how they would grow the I-League but the meeting never occurred for reasons unknown.[24]

Then, on 4 May 2012, the AIFF hosted the last ad hoc meeting – an annual meeting between the AFC and AIFF to assess the growth of Indian football. The AFC president at the time, Zhang Jilong, was also in attendance at this meeting.[25] It was reported that the IPFCA would use this meeting to voice their displeasure at the AIFF and IMG-Reliance but the association never showed up at the meeting.[25]

On 18 June 2012 the IPFCA was officially sanctioned under the Society's Act of 1960.[26]

League improvement

Despite the ongoing war between the AIFF, IMG-Reliance, and the IPFCA, the league did manage to improve its product on the field and awareness did increase during this period. It all started when the India national team participated in the AFC Asian Cup in 2011 for the first time in 27 years.[27] Despite being knocked-out in the group stage after losing all three of their games, India came back home more popular than ever. Subrata Pal, of Pune gained the most popularity after his impressive performances in goal for India during the Asian Cup.[28] At the same time, before the Asian Cup, Sunil Chhetri became the second Indian footballer in the modern footballing era to move abroad when he signed for the Kansas City Wizards in Major League Soccer in 2010. He also became the first exported Indian from the I-League.[29]

The league was then given a major boost from its main derby, the Kolkata derby, between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. On 20 November 2011, 90,000 people watched at the Salt Lake Stadium as Mohun Bagan defeated East Bengal 1–0.[30] The league also saw more expansion to others areas with the promotion of United Sikkim from the 2nd Division,[31] however, their reign was short lived as financial troubles saw them relegated the next season.[32]

Meanwhile, while the league continued to grow, so did the players' demand. During this period plenty of Indian players were wanted on trial by foreign clubs, mainly in Europe. After his return from MLS, Sunil Chhetri and international teammate Jeje Lalpekhlua were called for trials at Scottish Premier League side Rangers in 2011.[33] Subrata Pal had trials at RB Leipzig before finally signing for Vestsjælland in 2014.[34] And Gurpreet Singh Sandhu underwent trials at then Premier League side Wigan Athletic and finally signing for Stabæk Fotball, Norway in 2014.[35]

At the same time, as Indian players demand abroad increased, the demand for higher quality foreigners in the I-League also increased. Former A-League player of the year and Costa Rican international Carlos Hernández signed with Prayag United before the 2012–13 season from the Melbourne Victory.[36] Lebanese international Bilal Najjarine also signed with Churchill Brothers in 2012.[37]

Demotion to second tier

On 18 May 2016, IMG–Reliance, along with the AIFF and I-League representatives met during a meeting in Mumbai. At the meeting, it was proposed that starting from the 2017–18 season, the Indian Super League becomes the top-tier football league in India while the I-League gets relegated to the second tier, but the idea was not entertained by the I-League representatives.[38]

In 2017, FIFA and the AFC had appointed a committee to look at the footballing landscape in the country which was in disarray due to two simultaneous leagues running together, and come up with solutions to re-establish a singular league pyramid which would be acceptable for everyone.[39] In the month of June, IMG–Reliance, the AIFF and the I-League representatives, met with the AFC in Kuala Lumpur in order to find a new way forward for Indian football.[40] The AFC were against allowing the ISL as the premier league in India while the clubs like East Bengal and Mohun Bagan wanted a complete merger of ISL and I-League.[40] A couple weeks later, the AIFF proposed that both ISL and I-League run simultaneously on a short–term basis with the I-League champions retaining the spot for the AFC Champions League qualifying stage, while the AFC Cup qualifying stage spot going to the ISL champions.[41] The proposal from the AIFF was officially approved by the AFC on 25 July 2017, with the ISL replacing the domestic cup competition, the Federation Cup.[42]

On 14 October 2019, the AFC held a summit in Kuala Lumpur, chaired by the AFC Secretary General Windsor John, which involved key stakeholders from the AIFF, the FSDL, the ISL and the I-League clubs, and other major stakeholders to propose a new roadmap to facilitate the football league system in India.[43] Based on the roadmap that was prepared by the AFC and the AIFF at the summit and was finally approved by the AFC Executive Committee on 26 October in Da Nang, in 2019–20 season, ISL will attain the country's top-tier league status, allowing the ISL premiers to play AFC Champions League and the I-League champions to play AFC Cup.[44] In addition, starting with the 2022–23 season, I-League will lose the top-tier status, wherein the champion of the I-League will stand a chance to be promoted to the ISL with no participation fee. In its recommendation for 2024–25, it was agreed to fully implement promotion and relegation between the two leagues, and abolition of parallel league system.[45]

Competition format

Since the league began in 2007, the rules have changed over the years. Currently, the league has 12 teams. Each club plays each other twice during the season, once at home and the other time away. At the end of the season, the team with the most points wins the league and gains promotion to the top flight Indian Super League. In the case of a tie then head-to-head record is looked upon. Further, in the case of a tie the goal difference is looked upon the tied teams.[46]

Clubs

A total of 41 clubs have participated so far in the I-League since its inception from 2007, up to the 2024-25 season.

Current clubs

Further information: 2024–25 I-League
class=notpageimage|
Locations of the I-League clubs


Club State/UT City Stadium Capacity
Aizawl Mizoram Aizawl Rajiv Gandhi Stadium 20,000
Churchill Brothers Goa Vasco Tilak Maidan 5,000
Delhi[a] Delhi New Delhi Mahilpur Football Stadium
Dempo Goa Panaji Duler 5,000
Gokulam Kerala Kerala Kozhikode EMS Stadium 50,000
Inter Kashi Uttar Pradesh Varanasi Kalyani Stadium 20,000
Namdhari Punjab Bhaini Sahib Namdhari Stadium 1,000
Rajasthan United Rajasthan Jaipur Vidhyadhar Nagar Stadium 3,000
Real Kashmir Jammu & Kashmir Srinagar TRC Turf Ground 11,000
Shillong Lajong Meghalaya Shillong SSA Stadium 5,000
Sreenidi Deccan Telangana Hyderabad Deccan Arena 1,500
Sporting Bengaluru Karnataka Bangalore Bangalore Football Stadium 8,400

All-time points table

The following is a list of clubs that have played in the I-League at any time since its formation in 2007 to the current season. Teams playing in the next season are indicated in bold.

I-League
Indian Super League
I-league 2
I-League 3 & State leagues
Defunct clubs
Operational academies

As of 2024

Pos. Team S P W D L GF GA GD Pts 1st 2nd 3rd 1st App Last / Recent app Highest finish
1 Churchill Brothers 14 303 139 83 81 525 369 155 499 2 3 2 2007–08 2023–24 1st
2 East Bengal 13 276 126 75 75 425 282 143 453 0 4 3 2007–08 2019–20 2nd
3 Mohun Bagan 13 276 126 85 65 430 301 129 451[47] 2 3 1 2007–08 2019–20 1st
4 Dempo 8 188 90 52 46 337 209 128 322 3 0 1 2007–08 2014–15 1st
5 Salgaocar 8 182 70 46 66 258 229 29 256 1 0 1 2007–08 2015–16 1st
6 Shillong Lajong 10 218 61 63 94 256 353 -97 246 0 0 0 2009–10 2023–24 5th
7 Sporting Goa 8 178 62 57 59 241 249 -8 243 0 0 1 2007–08 2015–16 3rd
9 Aizawl 10 181 63 47 71 234 228 6 236 1 0 0 2015–16 2023–24 1st
8 Pune 6 148 63 45 40 219 168 51 234 0 1 1 2009–10 2014–15 2nd
10 Mumbai 9 204 53 72 79 219 281 -62 231 0 0 0 2008–09 2016–17 5th
11 Gokulam Kerala 7 132 61 30 41 218 155 60 213 2 0 1 2017–18 2023–24 1st
12 United 6 150 48 55 47 202 200 2 199 0 0 0 2008–09 2013–14 4th
13 Punjab (including Minerva Punjab season records) 7 127 52 35 40 170 149 21 191 2 0 0 2016–17 2022–23 1st
14 Mohammedan 6 125 49 34 42 174 161 13 181 1 2 0 2008–09 2023–24 1st
15 Real Kashmir 6 113 43 39 31 150 121 29 168 0 0 1 2018–19 2023–24 3rd
16 Indian Arrows 9 178 38 43 97 143 287 -144 157 0 0 0 2010–11 2021–22 8th
17 Bengaluru 4 78 42 20 16 131 79 52 146 2 1 0 2013–14 2016–17 1st
18 NEROCA 7 132 38 30 64 155 211 -56 144 0 1 0 2017–18 2023–24 2nd
19 Air India 6 144 33 45 66 142 249 -107 144 0 0 0 2007–08 2012–13 8th
20 TRAU 6 112 36 25 51 134 178 -44 133 0 0 1 2019–20 2023–24 3rd
21 Sreenidi Deccan 3 64 36 14 14 125 74 51 122 0 2 1 2021–22 2023–24 2nd
22 JCT 4 92 29 27 36 93 100 -7 114 0 0 1 2007–08 2010–11 3rd
23 Chennai City 5 85 31 21 33 112 126 -14 114 1 0 0 2016–17 2020–21 1st
24 Mahindra United 3 66 25 25 16 97 69 28 100 0 0 0 2007–08 2009–10 4th
25 Viva Kerala 4 96 22 23 51 96 160 -64 89 0 0 0 2007–08 2011–12 9th
26 Rajasthan United 3 64 18 18 28 75 111 -36 72 0 0 0 2021–22 2023–24 6th
27 ONGC 2 52 12 19 21 55 76 -21 55 0 0 0 2010–11 2012–13 9th
28 Sudeva Delhi 3 48 13 13 22 42 60 -18 52 0 0 0 2020–21 2022–23 8th
29 Inter Kashi 1 24 11 8 5 47 41 6 41 0 0 0 2023–24 2023–24 4th
30 DSK Shivajians 2 34 7 12 15 38 55 -17 33 0 0 0 2015–16 2016–17 7th
31 Delhi 1 24 11 2 11 44 40 4 35 0 0 0 2023–24 2023–24 6th
32 HAL 2 52 7 11 34 37 108 -71 32 0 0 0 2010–11 2011–12 12th
33 Royal Wahingdoh 1 20 8 6 6 27 27 0 30 0 0 1 2014–15 2014–15 3rd
34 Kenkre 2 39 6 11 22 34 65 -31 29 0 0 0 2021–22 2022–23 13th
35 Namdhari 1 24 7 6 11 29 40 -11 27 0 0 0 2023–24 2023–24 11th
36 Rangdajied United 1 24 6 7 11 29 38 -9 25 0 0 0 2013–14 2013–14 11th
37 Bharat 1 20 4 6 10 13 28 -15 18 0 0 0 2014–15 2014–15 11th
38 United Sikkim 1 26 2 9 15 23 63 -40 15 0 0 0 2012–13 2012–13 14th
39 Vasco 1 22 2 4 16 14 49 -35 10 0 0 0 2008–09 2008–09 12th
41 Sporting Bengaluru - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Clubs qualifying for I-League

Direct corporate bid entered clubs to I-League
Season Clubs
2013–14 Bengaluru
2014–15 Bharat
2015–16 DSK Shivajians
2016–17 Churchill Brothers, Chennai City, Minerva Punjab
2017–18 Gokulam Kerala
2020–21 Sudeva Delhi
2021–22 Sreenidi Deccan
2023–24 Inter Kashi, Namdhari
Promoted clubs from I-League 2 to I-League
Season Clubs
2008 Mumbai, Mohammedan, United, Vasco
2009 Salgaocar, Viva Kerala, Shillong Lajong, Pune
2010 ONGC, HAL
2011 Shillong Lajong, Sporting Goa
2012 ONGC, United Sikkim
2013 Rangdajied United, Mohammedan
2014 Royal Wahingdoh
2015 Aizawl
2015–16 Dempo
2016–17 NEROCA
2017–18 Real Kashmir
2018–19 TRAU
2020 Mohammedan
2021 Rajasthan United, Mumbai Kenkre
2022–23 Delhi, Shillong Lajong
2023–24 Sporting Bengaluru, Dempo

Clubs promoted/relegated from I-League

Promoted clubs from I-League to Indian Super League
Season Clubs
2022–23 RoundGlass Punjab
2023–24 Mohammedan
Relegated clubs from I-League to I-League 2
Season Clubs
2007–08 Viva Kerala, Salgaocar
2008–09 Mohammedan, Vasco
2009–10 Sporting Clube de Goa, Shillong Lajong
2010–11 JCT, ONGC
2011–12 Viva Kerala, HAL
2012–13 Air India, United Sikkim
2013–14 Mohammedan
2014–15 Dempo
2015–16 None[b]
2016–17 Mumbai
2017–18 None[c]
2018–19 Shillong Lajong
2019–20 None[d]
2020–21 None[e]
2021–22 None[f]
2022–23 Mumbai Kenkre, Sudeva Delhi
2023–24 NEROCA, TRAU
  1. ^ The club is based in Delhi but will play its home games in Punjab due to the unavailability of stadiums.
  2. ^ Aizawl FC were relegated, but reinstated to I-League due to withdrawal of 3 Goan clubs.[48]
  3. ^ Churchill Brothers SC were relegated, but reinstated to I-League after the appeal.[49]
  4. ^ Aizawl FC were relegated, but reinstated to I-League after inclusion of two I-League clubs to Indian Super League
  5. ^ NEROCA FC were relegated but were reinstated by AIFF after viewing the situation of COVID-19 pandemic in India.[50]
  6. ^ Mumbai Kenkre FC were relegated but were reinstated after the closure of the Indian Arrows project.[51]

Timeline

Sponsorship

Since the original National Football League, the Indian league has always been sponsored. When the I-League began in 2007 the last sponsor from the old National Football League, ONGC, were brought in as the sponsors, making the league be known as the ONGC I-League.[52] However, after the 2010–11 season, the deal with ONGC was not renewed and the I-League was left without a sponsorship deal till 2013.[53] On 24 September 2013, it was announced that telecommunications company, Airtel would be the new title sponsor of the I-League, thus making the league known as the Airtel I-League.[54] In December 2014, it was announced that Hero MotoCorp would replace Airtel as the title sponsor for the league and hence the league would be known has Hero I-League.[55] The league is currently without a title sponsor, as Hero decided not to renew its sponsorship deal with Indian football after 2022–23 season.[56]

Period Title sponsor Tournament name
2007–11 India ONGC ONGC I-League
2011–13 none I-League
2013–14 India Airtel Airtel I-League
2014–2023 India Hero Hero I-League
2023–present none I-League

Media coverage

Period TV telecast Online streaming
2007–10 Zee Sports
2010–17 Ten Action, Ten Sports DittoTV
2017–19 Star Sports Hotstar, JioTV
2019–22 1Sports Facebook, JioTV
2022–23 Eurosport, DD Sports Discovery plus
2023–24 Eurosport FanCode
2024–present Sony Sports[57] SSEN

Coaches

The role of the head coach in the I-League varies from club to club. Some like to appoint technical or sporting directors as well as manager-style coaches.[58] The All India Football Federation does impose licensing requirements for head coaches in the I-League, the rule being that the head coach must have an AFC Professional Coaching Diploma in order to coach in the I-League. However, some clubs and coaches like Subhash Bhowmick, Subrata Bhattacharya, Sukhwinder Singh and Bimal Ghosh were known for accepting a technical director role in order to bypass the head coaching requirements.[58] This has bought about a lot of controversial news, most recently being when Churchill Brothers won the I-League after the 2012–13 season with Subhash Bhowmick not winning the "Coach of the Year" award, due to being listed as the technical director.[58]

Seeing this, the AIFF technical director, Rob Baan, as well as others, advocated that the federation make it mandatory for both technical directors and head coaches to have an AFC Pro-Diploma.[58] On 14 May 2014 this was officially put into act by the AIFF during their I-League licensing committee meeting.[59]

In terms of coaching performance, after the first seven seasons of the I-League, an Indian head coach has won the I-League four times while a foreign head coach has won it three times. Zoran Đorđević of Serbia was the first foreign head coach to win the I-League.[60][61] Italian coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese became the first coach to win back-to-back I-League titles in 2020–21 and 2021–22 seasons.

Armando Colaco was the first Indian coach to win the I-League in the league's opening season and he has the most I-League championships at three.[62] Khogen Singh is the latest Indian coach to win the I-League in 2017–18 season.[63]

Current coaches in the I-League
Nat. Name Club Appointed Time since appointment
India Malsawmzuala Sailo Aizawl 4 November 2023 1 year, 40 days
India Shareef Khan Gokulam Kerala 31 March 2024 258 days
Spain Antonio López Habas Inter Kashi 25 July 2024 142 days
India Samir Naik Dempo 1 July 2017 7 years, 166 days
Portugal Carlos Vaz Pinto Sreenidi Deccan 3 August 2022 2 years, 133 days
India Pushpender Kundu Rajasthan United 1 July 2022 2 years, 166 days
India Bobby Nongbet Shillong Lajong 16 September 2022 2 years, 89 days
India Ishfaq Ahmed Real Kashmir 27 October 2022 2 years, 48 days
Spain Francesc Bonet Churchill Brothers 27 January 2024 322 days
India Yan Law Delhi 25 June 2023 1 year, 172 days
India Harpreet Singh Namdhari 25 November 2023 1 year, 19 days
India Chinta Chandrashekar Rao Sporting Bengaluru 1 April 2023 1 year, 257 days
The torso and head of a grey-haired white man in a football stadium. He is wearing spectacles and a black coat.
Former Dempo manager Armando Colaco was the longest serving and most successful manager in the history of the I League.
Winning head coaches
Head coach Wins Winning year(s) Team
India Armando Colaco 3 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12 Dempo
England Ashley Westwood 2 2013–14, 2015–16 Bengaluru
Italy Vincenzo Alberto Annese 2020–21, 2021–22 Gokulam Kerala
Greece Staikos Vergetis 1 2022–23 RoundGlass Punjab
Spain Kibu Vicuña 2019–20 Mohun Bagan
Singapore Akbar Nawas 2018–19 Chennai City
India Khogen Singh 2017–18 Minerva Punjab
India Khalid Jamil 2016–17 Aizawl
India Sanjoy Sen 2014–15 Mohun Bagan
India Mariano Dias 2012–13 Churchill Brothers
Morocco Karim Bencherifa 2010–11 Salgaocar
Serbia Zoran Đorđević 2008–09 Churchill Brothers
Russia Andrey Chernyshov 2023–24 Mohammedan

Champions

Further information: Indian football champions

Successful clubs by seasons

Season Champions Runners-up Third place Teams
2007–08 Dempo (1/3) Churchill Brothers JCT 10
2008–09 Churchill Brothers (1/2) Mohun Bagan Sporting Goa 12
2009–10 Dempo (2/3) Churchill Brothers Pune 14
2010–11 Salgaocar East Bengal Dempo 14
2011–12 Dempo (3/3) East Bengal Churchill Brothers 14
2012–13 Churchill Brothers (2/2) Pune East Bengal 14
2013–14 Bengaluru (1/2) East Bengal Salgaocar 13
2014–15 Mohun Bagan (1/2) Bengaluru Royal Wahingdoh 11
2015–16 Bengaluru (2/2) Mohun Bagan East Bengal 9
2016–17 Aizawl Mohun Bagan East Bengal 10
2017–18 Minerva Punjab NEROCA Mohun Bagan 10
2018–19 Chennai City East Bengal Real Kashmir 11
2019–20 Mohun Bagan (2/2) Not Awarded[a] 11
2020–21 Gokulam Kerala (1/2) Churchill Brothers TRAU 11
2021–22 Gokulam Kerala (2/2) Mohammedan Sreenidi Deccan 13
2022–23 RoundGlass Punjab Sreenidi Deccan Gokulam Kerala 12
2023–24 Mohammedan Sreenidi Deccan Gokulam Kerala 13
Notes
  1. ^ Matches after 14th March 2020 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mohun Bagan were declared the champions having enough point difference between the second-placed club.[64]

Performance by clubs

Club Titles Runners-up Third place Winning seasons Runners-up seasons Third place seasons
Dempo 3 0 1 2007–08, 2009–10, 2011–12 2010–11
Churchill Brothers 2 3 1 2008–09, 2012–13 2007–08, 2009–10,

2020–21

2011–12
Mohun Bagan 2 3 1 2014–15, 2019–20 2008–09, 2015–16, 2016–17 2017–18
Bengaluru 2 1 0 2013–14, 2015–16 2014–15
Gokulam Kerala 2 0 2 2020–21, 2021–22 2022–23, 2023–24
Mohammedan 1 1 0 2023–24 2021–22
Salgaocar 1 0 1 2010–11 2013–14
Minerva Punjab 1 0 0 2017–18
Aizawl 1 0 0 2016–17
Chennai City 1 0 0 2018–19
RoundGlass Punjab 1 0 0 2022–23
East Bengal 0 4 3 2010–11, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2018–19 2012–13, 2015–16, 2016–17
Sreenidi Deccan 0 2 1 2022–23, 2023–24 2021–22
Pune 0 1 1 2012–13 2009–10
NEROCA 0 1 0 2017–18
JCT 0 0 1 2007–08
Sporting Goa 0 0 1 2008–09
Royal Wahingdoh 0 0 1 2014–15
Real Kashmir 0 0 1 2018–19
TRAU 0 0 1 2020–21

Stats and players

Individual game highest attendance records

Rank Home team Score Away team Attendance Stadium Date
1 Mohun Bagan 1–0 East Bengal 90,000 Salt Lake Stadium 20 November 2011
2 Mohun Bagan 0–1 East Bengal 80,000 Salt Lake Stadium 24 November 2013
3 Mohun Bagan 2–1 East Bengal 63,756 Salt lake Stadium

19 January 2020

4 Mohun Bagan 1–1 East Bengal 63,342 Salt Lake Stadium 26 January 2016
5 Mohun Bagan 1–0 East Bengal 57,780 Salt Lake Stadium 28 March 2015

Seasonal statistics

Season Total goals Matches played Average per game
2007–08 226 90 2.51[65]
2008–09 318 132 2.41[66]
2009–10 486 182 2.67[67]
2010–11 489 182 2.69[68]
2011–12 521 182 2.88[69]
2012–13 530 182 2.91[70]
2013–14 402 156 2.47[71]
2014–15 280 110 2.55[72]
2015–16 186 72 2.58[73]
2016–17 225 90 2.5[74]
2017–18 204 90 2.27[75]
2018–19 303 109 2.78
2019–20 187 69[a] 2.71
2020–21 216 80 2.7
2021–22 294 114 2.58
2022–23 360 132 2.73
2023–24 503 156 3.22

Player transfer fees

Top transfer fees paid by I-League clubs

Rank Player Fee (min) Year Transfer Out Transfer In Reference
1 Nigeria Uga Okpara ₹7 crore (US$840,000) 2009 Nigeria Enyimba India East Bengal
2 Nigeria Odafa Onyeka Okolie ₹3 crore (US$360,000) 2011 India Mohun Bagan India Churchill Brothers
3 India Lester Fernandez ₹20 lakh (US$24,000) 2012 India Pune India Prayag United
4 India Ronaldo Oliveira ₹10 lakh (US$12,000) 2019 India Salgaocar India East Bengal

Top transfer fees received by I-League clubs

Rank Player Fee (min) Year Transfer Out Transfer In Reference
1 Uganda Khalid Aucho ₹4 crore (US$480,000) 2019 India Churchill Brothers Egypt Misr Lel Makkasa [76]
2 India Sunil Chhetri ₹1.14 crore (US$140,000) 2014 India Bengaluru India Mumbai City
3 Spain Pedro Manzi ₹1 crore (US$120,000) 2020 India Chennai City Japan Albirex Niigata
4 India Eugeneson Lyngdoh ₹90 lakh (US$110,000) 2014 India Bengaluru India Pune City

Top scorers

Main article: I-League Golden Boot

Season after season, players in the I-League compete for the golden boot title, which is awarded at the end of each season to the top scorer throughout the entire season. The most recent winner of the golden boot is Bidyashagar Singh, who won the golden boot at the end of the 2020–21 season after scoring 12 goals. Ranti Martins is both currently the holders of the most golden boot titles with five golden boots. Along with Odafa Onyeka Okolie, the two Nigerians make up the eight golden boots won by Nigerians, the most of any nationality in the league.

I-League Golden Boot winners
Season Player Club Goals Ref(s)
2007–08 Nigeria Odafe Onyeka Okolie Churchill Brothers 22 [77]
2008–09 Nigeria Odafe Onyeka Okolie Churchill Brothers 26 [77]
2009–10 Nigeria Odafe Onyeka Okolie Churchill Brothers 22 [77]
2010–11 Nigeria Ranti Martins Dempo 30 [77]
2011–12 Nigeria Ranti Martins Dempo 32 [78]
2012–13 Nigeria Ranti Martins Prayag United 27 [79]
2013–14 India Sunil Chhetri Bengaluru FC 14 [80]
Scotland Darryl Duffy Salgaocar
Trinidad and Tobago Cornell Glen Shillong Lajong
2014–15 Nigeria Ranti Martins East Bengal 17 [72]
2015–16 Nigeria Ranti Martins East Bengal 12 [73]
2016–17 Cameroon Aser Pierrick Dipanda Shillong Lajong 11 [74]
2017–18 Cameroon Aser Pierrick Dipanda Mohun Bagan 13 [75]
2018–19 Uruguay Pedro Manzi Chennai City FC 21 [81]
Trinidad and Tobago Willis Plaza Churchill Brothers
2019–20 — Not Awarded[a]
2020–21 India Bidyashagar Singh TRAU FC 12 [82]
2021–22 Trinidad and Tobago Marcus Joseph Mohammedan 15
2022–23 Slovenia Luka Majcen RoundGlass Punjab 16
2023–24 Spain Álex Sánchez Gokulam Kerala 19
Indian top scorers
Season Player Club Goals Ref(s)
2007–08 Bhaichung Bhutia Mohun Bagan 9 [83]
2008–09 Sunil Chhetri East Bengal 9 [83]
2009–10 Mohammed Rafi Mahindra United 13 [83]
2010–11 Jeje Lalpekhlua Indian Arrows 13 [83]
2011–12 Chinadorai Sabeeth Pailan Arrows 9 [83]
2012–13 C. K. Vineeth Prayag United 7 [83]
2013–14 Sunil Chhetri Bengaluru 14 [71]
2014–15 Thongkhosiem Haokip Pune 7 [72]
2015–16 Sunil Chhetri Bengaluru 5 [73]
Sushil Kumar Singh Mumbai
2016–17 Sunil Chettri Bengaluru 7 [74]
C. K. Vineeth Bengaluru
2017–18 Abhijit Sarkar Indian Arrows 4 [75]
Subhash Singh NEROCA
2018–19 Jobby Justin East Bengal 9 [84]
2019–20 — Not Awarded[a]
2020–21 Bidyashagar Singh TRAU 12 [82]
2021–22 Thahir Zaman Gokulam Kerala 5
Shubho Paul Sudeva Delhi
2022–23 Seilenthang Lotjem Sudeva Delhi 6
Samuel Kynshi Real Kashmir
2023–24 Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia Aizawl 15
  1. ^ a b c Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the league was suspended after 14 March 2020. Only champions were awarded and remaining prize money in the league was equally divided among the remaining participating clubs and no individual prize money was also not awarded.[64] However, Aser Pierrick Dipanda of Minerva Punjab scored the highest number of goals, having scored 12 goals in 15 matches; whereas, Rochharzela of Aizawl scored 6 goals in 15 matches, highest among Indians.[85]

Awards

The trophy

The I-League has only been awarding a proper trophy to the champion since 2013 when the 2012–13 season champions, Churchill Brothers, won the league.[86] Before 2013 the I-League champions received a basic trophy.[86] The new trophy was designed in Europe and is modeled along the lines of the champion trophies in the top European leagues.[86] Regarding the trophy, the AIFF general secretary, Kushal Das, said: "It is the endeavour of AIFF to practice the best principles of other leagues and accordingly we thought to create a more contemporary look to the I-League trophy in line with trophies given in European leagues".[86]

Season awards

End of the season I-League awards were previously conducted by the Football Players' Association of India and All India Football Federation since 2008–09 season. Currently the awards include the Hero of the league, the golden boot, the golden glove, the best head coach (Syed Abdul Rahim Award), the best defender (Jarnail Singh Award), the best midfielder and the emerging player of the league, all of which are sponsored by Hero.

Hero of the League

Season Player Team
2016–17 India Sunil Chhetri Bengaluru
2018–19 Spain Pedro Manzi Chennai City
2020–21 India Bidyashagar Singh TRAU
2021–22 Trinidad and Tobago Marcus Joseph Mohammedan

Syed Abdul Rahim Award

Season Head coach Team
2008–09[87] England Dave Booth Mumbai
2009–10[88] India Armando Colaco Dempo
2010–11[89] Morocco Karim Bencherifa Salgaocar
2011–12[90] England Trevor Morgan East Bengal
2012–13[91] India Derrick Pereira Pune
2013–14[92] England Ashley Westwood Bengaluru
2014–15 India Sanjoy Sen Mohun Bagan
2015–16 England Ashley Westwood Bengaluru
2016–17 India Khalid Jamil Aizawl
2017–18[93] India Gift Raikhan NEROCA
2018–19[94] Singapore Akbar Nawas Chennai City
2020–21[82] India L. Nandakumar Singh TRAU
2021–22 Italy Vincenzo Alberto Annese Gokulam Kerala

Emerging player of the season

Season Player Position Team
2008–09[87] India Baljit Sahni Forward JCT
2009–10[88] India Joaquim Abranches Forward Dempo
2010–11[89] India Jeje Lalpekhlua Forward Pailan Arrows
2011–12[90] India Manandeep Singh Forward Pailan Arrows
2012–13[91] India Alwyn George Midfielder Pailan Arrows
2013–14[92] India Alwyn George Midfielder Dempo
2015–16 India Udanta Singh Winger Bengaluru
2016–17 India Jerry Lalrinzuala Left Back DSK Shivajians
2017–18[93] India Samuel Lalmuanpuia Midfielder Shillong Lajong
2018–19[95] India Phrangi Buam Midfielder Shillong Lajong
2020–21[82] India Emil Benny Forward Gokulam Kerala
2021–22 India Jiteshwor Singh Midfielder NEROCA

Foreign player of the year

Season Player Position Team
2008–09[87] Nigeria Odafe Onyeka Okolie Forward Churchill Brothers
2009–10[88] Nigeria Odafe Onyeka Okolie Forward Churchill Brothers
2010–11[89] Brazil Beto Midfielder Dempo
2011–12[96] Nigeria Ranti Martins Forward Dempo
2012–13[91] Nigeria Ranti Martins Forward Prayag United
2013–14[92] Scotland Darryl Duffy Forward Salgaocar

Indian Player of the Season

Season Player Position Team
2008–09[87] India Sunil Chhetri Forward East Bengal
2009–10[88] India Mohammed Rafi Forward Mahindra United
2010–11[89] India Mehtab Hossain Midfielder East Bengal
2011–12[90] India Syed Nabi Defender Mohun Bagan
2012–13[91] India Lenny Rodrigues Midfielder Churchill Brothers
2013–14[92] India Balwant Singh Forward Churchill Brothers

Fans' player of the year

Season Player Position Team
2008–09[97] Nigeria Odafe Onyeka Okolie Forward Churchill Brothers
2009–10[88] India Subrata Pal Goalkeeper Pune
2010–11[89] India Mehtab Hossain Midfielder East Bengal
2011–12[90] India Francis Fernandes Midfielder Salgaocar
2012–13[91] Afghanistan Zohib Islam Amiri Defender Mumbai
2013–14[92] India Boithang Haokip Midfielder Shillong Lajong

I-League clubs in Asia

Main article: Indian football clubs in Asian competition

Traditionally, I-League clubs have done particularly well in the AFC Cup. In 2008 Dempo managed to reach the semi-finals of the AFC Cup before being defeated by Al-Safa of Lebanon.[98] East Bengal also managed to reach the semi-finals in 2013 before being knocked-out by Al-Kuwait.[99] Bengaluru is the only I-League club to reach the AFC Cup Final in 2016 but lost to Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya of Iraq.[100]

However, in the AFC Champions League, no I-League club has ever managed to make it past the qualifiers.[101]

Season AFC Cup Position AFC Champions League Position
2008–09 Mohun Bagan Group stage Dempo Play-off Round
Dempo Semi-finals
2009–10 East Bengal Group stage Churchill Brothers Play-off Round
Churchill Brothers Round of 16
2010–11 East Bengal Group stage Dempo Play-off Round
Dempo Round of 16
2011–12 East Bengal Group stage Salgaocar DNP
Salgaocar Group stage
2012–13 East Bengal Semi-finals Churchill Brothers DNP
Churchill Brothers Group stage
2013–14 Churchill Brothers Round of 16 Pune Qualifying Round 1
Pune Group stage
2014–15 Bengaluru Round of 16 Bengaluru Preliminary Round 1
East Bengal Group stage
2015–16 Mohun Bagan Round of 16 Mohun Bagan Preliminary Round 2
Bengaluru Runners-up
2016–17 Bengaluru Inter-zone finals Bengaluru Preliminary Round 2
Mohun Bagan Group stage
2017–18 Aizawl Group Stage Aizawl Play-off Round
Bengaluru Inter-zone semi-finals
2019 Minerva Punjab Group stage Minerva Punjab Preliminary Round 2
2018–19 Chennai City Cancelled Chennai City Preliminary Round 1
2019–20 Mohun Bagan Inter-zone semi-finals
2020–21 Gokulam Kerala Group stage

See also

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