2023–24 I-League
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 2023–24 I-League was the 17th season of the
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 ...
and the second season as the second 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 ...
.
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 ...
won the I-League for the first time and were promoted to the
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 ...
, while
TRAU Trogir () is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia, with a population of 10,107 (2021) and a total municipal population of 12,393 (2021). The historic part of the city is situated on a small island b ...
and NEROCA were relegated to
I-League 2 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 ...
.


Changes from last season

;Promoted to
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 ...
* RoundGlass Punjab ;Promoted from
I-League 2 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 ...
*
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 ...
* Shillong Lajong ;Relegated to
I-League 2 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 ...
* Mumbai Kenkre * Sudeva Delhi ;Corporate entries The AIFF accepted five bids for direct entry to I-League. * Inter Kashi * Namdhari Bunkerhill Pvt Ltd (
Ambala Ambala () is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border with the Indian state of Punjab (India), Punjab and in proximity to both states capital Chandigarh. Politically, Ambala ...
) withdrew its bid after inking a majority shareholding in
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 ...
. Nimida United Sports Development Pvt Ltd ( Bengaluru United) and Concatenate Advest Advisory Pvt Ltd (
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 ...
) were unable to fulfill the bid conditions. Inter Kashi, from a tier-2 city (
Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...
), will have relegation immunity for two seasons; while Namdhari, from a tier-3 city ( Bhaini Ala), will be free from relegation for one season.


Rules

After the clubs requested to increase the maximum number of players allowed in a squad, the Committee decided to increase the player quota from 30 to 35. Clubs will also have to sign eight U-22 players.


Format

AIFF proposed to revamp the league format by dividing the 16 teams into two conferences or zones, similar to
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
, with the top 4 teams from each conference qualifying for the playoffs and the bottom four battling to avoid relegation, instead of traditional home-away format. The change was suggested to make the league cost-effective for clubs by reducing travel time. However, with only 13 teams left to participate in the league, the proposed changes were dropped in favor of the traditional home-away format.


Teams

13 teams competed in this edition of the I-League; nine from the previous season, two promoted from the 2022–23 I-League 2, and two with direct entry. Five teams are set to play their home games out of their home state or city because of various reasons.


Stadiums and locations


Personnel and sponsorship


Managerial changes


Foreign players

Initially, the AIFF committee decided to reduce registered foreign players to five in the squad and three in the starting line-up and remove the mandatory Asian quota. However, on 22nd August 2023, the AIFF decided to retain the number of foreigners a club can sign in the I-League. Like the 2022–23 season, clubs can register ''six'' foreign players in their matchday squad. However, they can field only ''four'' (one must be from an AFC Member Association) at any given point during a match.


League table


Results


Results by games


Charity match

The Mizoram Football Association in collaboration with Mizo Professional Footballers Association held a charity match on June 21. This match featured ISL vs I-League players from Mizoram to raise funds for Cyclone Remal victims.


Season statistics


Top scorers


Hat-tricks


Top assists


Clean sheets


Attendances


Overall


Attendances by home matches

Legend:
Updated to game(s) played on 13 April 2024
Source:''
I-League
/small>


Awards

Álex Sánchez ( Gokulam Kerala) has won the Hero of the match award the most times (7).


Annual awards


See also

*Men ** 2023–24 Indian Super League (Tier I) ** 2023–24 I-League 2 (Tier III) ** 2023–24 I-League 3 (Tier IV) ** 2023–24 Indian State Leagues (Tier V) ** 2024 Super Cup ** 2023 Durand Cup ** 2024 Reliance Foundation Development League *Women ** 2023–24 Indian Women's League ** 2023–24 Indian Women's League 2


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2023-24 I-League 2023–24 I-League I-League seasons 2023–24 in Indian football leagues
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 ...