The 2021–22 I-League (also known as Hero I-League for sponsorship reasons) was the 15th season 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 ...
, last as the top tier of
Indian football league system
The Indian football league system is the league structure of football club competitions in India. The highest level of men's club football competition is the Indian Super League. Indian Women's League, founded in 2016, is the highest level of ...
, since its establishment in 2007. All the matches were hosted in a
bio-secure bubble
A bio-secure bubble, also known as a bubble, or hub city, was a hosting arrangement for sporting events that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, under which events were held at a centralized site, often behind closed doors, with strict quarant ...
in
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
due to
COVID-19 pandemic in India
The COVID-19 pandemic in India is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As of , according to Indian government ...
.
After the commencement of the first match-week of the league on 27 December 2021, the tournament got suspended on 29 December due to reports of numerous
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
cases among the players and staff.
All India Football Federation
All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the governing body of football, futsal and beach soccer in India. It is a member of FIFA, and is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation and South Asian Football Federation.
It is affiliated wit ...
released new dates on 1 February 2022, with a revised schedule of the league resuming from 3 March.
The AIFF allowed spectators in the second phase of the league. On final matchday, with only a draw needed,
Gokulam Kerala defeated
Mohammedan
''Mohammedan'' (also spelled ''Muhammadan'', ''Mahommedan'', ''Mahomedan'' or ''Mahometan'') is a term for a follower of Muhammad, the Islamic prophet. It is used as both a noun and an adjective, meaning belonging or relating to, either Muhamm ...
by 2–1 to successfully defend the title, becoming the first team to do so in I-League and first time in 14 years to do so in the Indian football league's history.
Changes from last season
Number of clubs
The total number of clubs participating increased from 11 in the previous season to 13 in this season.
In 2020 the
AIFF AIFF may refer to:
* Audio Interchange File Format
* All India Football Federation, the national governing body of Association football in India
Film festivals
* Addis International Film Festival, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
* Alexandria Internation ...
issued an invitation to accept bids for new clubs from non I-League cities, like
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
,
Gangtok
Gangtok (, ) is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Sikkim. The seat of East Sikkim district, eponymous district, Gangtok is in the eastern Himalayas, Himalayan range, at an elevation of . The city's population of 100 ...
,
Ranchi
Ranchi (; ) is the capital city and also the largest district by population of the Indian state of Jharkhand. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern ...
,
Jaipur
Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...
,
Jodhpur
Jodhpur () is the second-largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, after its capital Jaipur. As of 2023, the city has a population of 1.83 million. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Jodhpur district and ...
,
Mangalore
Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...
,
Bhopal
Bhopal (; ISO 15919, ISO: Bhōpāl, ) is the capital (political), capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes,'' due to ...
,
Lucknow
Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...
,
Kanpur
Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...
,
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...
and
Calicut
Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature.
It is the nineteenth large ...
among many others, to join the league from 2020 onwards. The invitation mentioned that the entity which wins the bid will be granted the right to own and operate a new football club. On 12 August 2020, the AIFF announced that
Sreenidi Deccan, which is based in
Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam (; List of renamed places in India, formerly known as Vizagapatam, and also referred to as Vizag, Visakha, and Waltair) is the largest and most populous metropolitan city in the States and union territories of India, Indian stat ...
would join from this season.
On 4 December 2021, the AIFF replaced
Chennai City by
Kenkre.
Promoted clubs
Promoted from the
2021 I-League Qualifiers
*
Rajasthan United
*
Kenkre
Through Direct entry
*
Sreenidi Deccan
Relegated clubs
Relegated from the
2020–21 I-League
*None
Notes:
Format
Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the tournament's format was shortened last season, and the same format is being followed. All teams will face each other once in the first leg of the league, then they will be divided into two different groups. According to points table from first leg, top seven teams will face each other once again in the
Championship stage, where the team with most points (cumulative points collected from all seventeen matches) will be declared the winner of the league and qualify for the
Playoffs for 2023–24 AFC Cup group stage. The other six teams will play against each other in a
Relegation stage where the team with the lowest points (cumulative points collected from all sixteen matches) will be relegated to 2nd Division League.
Teams
Stadiums and locations
AIFF declared
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
as the venue for the second straight season on 26 June, with all matches being played at
Kalyani Stadium
Kalyani Stadium is a stadium in Kalyani, West Bengal, Kalyani, West Bengal, India. The stadium holds 20,000 spectators. It usually hosts matches of the I-League and the Calcutta Football League.
About
It is the home stadium of Mohun Bagan A. ...
in
Kalyani and
Naihati Stadium in
Naihati
Naihati is a city and a municipality of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).
Naihati Municipality ...
. The final match of the league was later rescheduled to be hosted at
Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan.
Personnel and sponsorship
Managerial changes
Transfers
Foreign players
AIFF allowed maximum of six foreign players including one from AFC-affiliated country per team but only four can be part of matchday squad. Indian Arrows cannot sign any foreign player as they are part of AIFF's developmental program.
Phase 1
Standings
Fixtures and results
All matches were played at neutral venues. The "home" and "away" are designated to identify Team 1 and Team 2 respectively.
Positions by round
Results by games
Phase 2
Championship stage (Group A)
Relegation stage (Group B)
Fixtures and results
All matches were played at neutral venues. The "home" and "away" are designated to identify Team 1 and Team 2 respectively.
Positions by round
Results by games
Final standings
Season statistics
Top scorers
:''As of 15 May 2022''
''Note:'' Only top 10 goalscorers of the season has been listed below.
Top assists
:''As of 14 May 2022''
''Note:'' Only top 3 assist providers have been listed below.
Hat-tricks
Note: ''The score of the player's team is displayed first in the result column.''
Clean sheets
:''As of 14 May 2022''
''Note:'' Only top 5 goalkeepers with most cleansheets have been listed below.
Discipline
Player
* Most yellow cards: 7
**
Mauro dos Santos (Rajasthan United)
* Most red cards: 2
**
Robert Primus (Aizawl)
Club
* Most yellow cards: 35
**
Churchill Brothers
* Most red cards: 5
**
Real Kashmir
Awards
* Match 1 - 78 = ''First phase''
* Match 79 - 114 = ''Second phase''
Hero of the Match
Season awards
I-League All Stars
A combined all Indian squad of this season's I-League was prepared to play to a friendly against
India national football team
The India national football team represents India in men's international Association football, football and is governed by the All India Football Federation, the governing body for Football in India, football in India. It is a member of FIFA, ...
.
*Goalkeepers: Bhaskar Roy, Shubham Dhas.
*Defenders: Manoj Mohammad, Mohammed Salah, Chungnunga Lal, Lalramchullova, Suresh Meitei, Asheer Akhtar, Gurmukh Singh, Tanmoy Ghosh.
*Midfielders: Faisal Ali, Sweden Fernandes, William Pauliankhum, Freddy Lallawmawma, Konsam Phalguni Singh, Maheson Singh, Jijo Joseph, Kabir Nath, Jiteshwor Singh.
*Forwards: Ranjeet Singh Pandre, Parthib Sundar Gogoi.
----
See also
*
2021–22 Indian Super League season
*
2021–22 in Indian football
The 2021–22 season was the 134th competitive association football season in Football in India, India.
Men's national team India senior national football team
2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
Friendlies (2021)
SAFF Championship
Fri ...
*
2021 Durand Cup
The 2021 Durand Cup was the 130th edition of Durand Cup, the oldest football tournament in Asia. Like its 2019 Durand Cup, previous edition, the tournament was hosted in West Bengal. The tournament is jointly hosted by the Eastern Command (Indi ...
*
2021 IFA Shield
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2021-22 Indian Super League season
I-League seasons
1
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
2021–22 in Indian football