The 2017–18 I-League 2nd Division (known as Hero 2017–18 I-League 2nd Division, for sponsorship reasons) was the 11th season of the

I-League 2nd Division The I-League 2 is an Indian men's professional association football, football league. It is the 3rd tier of the Indian football league system, behind the Indian Super League and the I-League. It operates as a system of promotion and relegation ...

, the second division Indian

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

league, since its establishment in 2008. The season started with the preliminary rounds from 14 March to 15 May 2018. The final round of the league took place between 21 May to 30 May 2018 at FSV Arena,

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

. This season featured 18 teams, divided into three groups of six teams each. The season also featured the reserve sides of seven

Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...

clubs, none of which were eligible to qualify for the final round. Real Kashmir won the title on 30 May 2018 and earned the promotion to

2018–19 I-League The 2018–19 I-League was the 12th season of the I-League, the top Indian professional football league, since its establishment in 2007. The season started on 26 October 2018 and is scheduled to conclude in March 2019. Unlike the Indian Super L ...

. They also made history becoming first team from state of Jammu & Kashmir to enter the first division of

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 13 clubs. It operates as a s ...

Format

Just like the previous season, the I-League 2nd Division will feature a preliminary round and a final round. During the preliminary round, the 18 teams will be divided into three groups of six teams each. All the matches during the preliminary round will be played in a double round-robin basis, in which every team plays all others in their group once at home and once away. The winners of the three groups, along with the best second placed team, will qualify for the final round. The seven

reserve sides in the league will not be eligible to qualify for the final round. During the final round, the four teams will face each other in a single-leg league system at a neutral venue, where each team faces each other once. At the end of the round, the team in first will earn promotion to the next division of Indian football.

Teams

Stadiums and locations

Personnel and kits

Foreign players

Each club, excluding the Indian Super League reserve sides, can register three foreign players in their squad. One of the foreign players has to be from an AFC Member Nation.

Preliminary round

Group A

Fixtures and results

Group B

Fixtures and results

Group C

Fixtures and results

Final round

Fixtures and results

Season statistics

Top scorers

Clean sheets

Highest Attendances

References

External links

Official I-League website
{{DEFAULTSORT:2017-18 I-League 2nd Division I-League 2 seasons 2017–18 in Indian football leagues 2017–18 in Asian second-tier association football leagues