Like in the last season, the ISL games will be hosted in three venues in Goa, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Tilak Maidan in Vasco and GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolin. All the matches in the first phase will be played in these 3 grounds. The first phase is set to run from Nov 19th 2020 – Jan 9th 2021.
See Last Season – ISL 2020-21 Stats
ISL 2021-22 – Team Composition Rule Change
One of the biggest changes in the rules for this season is the composition of teams – now the playing XI will see teams playing with a minimum of seven local players plus a maximum of four overseas players. The earlier season had mandated to keep six local players and now with an increase of local players to seven – it will be interesting to see how the team compositions are made.
View the schedule and fixtures of Phase 1 here.
The cap on foreign players to a maximum four is in accordance with the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) club competition regulations. The changes gave the clubs the leeway to sign a maximum of six foreign players of which one is required to be from an AFC member nation (3+1).
See the Complete List of Overseas Players in ISL 2021-22.
Opening Game Between ATK Mohun Bagan and Kerala Blasters
On the eve of the tournament opener, ATK Mohun Bagan coach Antonio Habas said his team will play their own game against Kerala Blasters but will go into the field with nothing but respect for their opponents.
ATK Mohun Bagan will look to maintain their winning record against the Blasters, having defeated them twice last season. Antonio Habas, the head coach of the ATK Mohun Bagan has said that they want to start the campaign on ta wining note and are not taking their opponents lightly. In his second managerial stint with the Kolkata-based side, Habas will look to go one step further this season after his team lost in the final to Mumbai City FC last year.
On the other hand, Kerala Blaster FC head coach Ivan Vukomanovic will not let history bog down his side. The Blasters have come up against ATK Mohun Bagan twice in their history and lost on both occasions but will look to be on the right end of the result.
Indian Super League (ISL) Golden Boot, Golden Glove , League Winners and Emerging Players List
ISL 2021-22 Stats and Analysis
ISL 2021-22: Hyderabad’s Road to Maiden ISL Final
ISL 2021-22: ATK Mohun Bagan, Bengaluru FC Win Big while SC East Bengal and Jamshedpur FC settle for a tame draw in their respective opening games
ISL 2021-22: The new season is set start on Nov 19th with the opening clash between ATK Mohun Bagan and Kerala Blasters
