The Indian Super League (ISL) schedule was announced on Thursday amid doubts over the release of a few India players by clubs for the Asian Games later this month.
The league clashes with the Hangzhou Asian Games where the football competition begins on September 19 and continues till October 7.
The ISL 2023-24 kicks off on September 21 with the match between Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC in Kochi. Last year’s champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant begin their campaign with a home match against debutants Punjab FC on September 23, while East Bengal host Jamshedpur FC two days later.
The Calcutta Derby between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal will be played on October 28. Interestingly, Eden will be hosting an ICC World Cup match between Bangladesh and the Netherlands on the same day.
League organisers FSDL announced the fixtures of the first half of the ISL till December 29. The 12-team ISL, now the country’s top-tier league, will be in its 10th edition.
The 22-member Indian men’s squad for the Asian Games has players from 10 ISL clubs and it is learnt that some of them are reluctant to release all their players. It is, however, not mandatory for the clubs to release players as the Asian Games do not fall in any Fifa international match window.
No matches are being scheduled during the Fifa international break windows of October 9-17 and November 13 to 21.
From this season onwards, ISL will be shown on Sports18 and JioCinema. The Telegraph, in its July 10 edition, had reported the same. The matches will start at 8pm. On double-header days, the first match will start at 5.30pm. Till last season, Star Sports Network was the official broadcaster.
The ISL League Shield winners will not get a berth in the AFC Champions League, the continent’s top-tier club competition, from 2024 onwards. After a recent restructuring, Indian clubs will no longer get an ACL berth but will be given spots in AFC Cup, the second-tier league in Asia.
