The 2015–16 I-League was the ninth season of the

I-League The I-League (known as Hero I-League for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp) is the second-tier men's professional football competition of the Indian football league system. It is currently contested by 12 clubs across the country with the w ...

, the Indian professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

league, since its establishment in 2007. The season commenced on 9 January 2016, after the

Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federat ...

finished, and concluded on 24 April 2016.

Bengaluru FC Bengaluru Football Club () is an Indian professional football club based in Bangalore, Karnataka. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club was established on 20 July 2013, and began its first ...

won their second I-League title after winning their first title in 2013–14. The defending champions

Mohun Bagan Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, its football section is one of the oldest in India and Asia. The club is most notable for its victory over East Yorkshire Regiment ...

finished second.

Aizawl Aizawl (; Mizo: ) is the capital of the state of Mizoram in India. Aizawl was officially established on 25 February 1890. With a population of 293,416, it is the largest city in the state. It is also the centre of administration containing all ...

and

DSK Shivajians DSK Shivajians Football Club (founded as Shivajians Sports Club) was an Indian professional football club based in Pune, Maharashtra. The club was owned by the DSK Group, and competed in the I-League, then top tier of Indian football league ...

entered the league for the first time in their history, Aizawl through promotion from the

I-League 2nd Division I-League 2, previously known as I-League 2nd Division and officially known as or Hero I-League 2 (for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp), is an Indian men's professional football league. It is the 3rd tier of Indian football, behind Indian ...

and DSK Shivajians through a direct-entry spot.

Teams & Season Details

After the 2014–15 I-League season, three-time

champions,

Dempo Dempo Mining Corporation Limited is a prominent mining company from the western Indian state of Goa. The mineral business was founded by Mr. Vasantrao S. Dempo in 1941 along with his younger brother Mr. Vaikuntrao Dempo. Mr. Vasantrao S. Demp ...

, were relegated to the

. Mizo club,

, were promoted from the 2nd Division earlier in May following a 4–2 victory over Chanmari.

were announced as the direct-entry club for this season on 12 November 2015. In August 2015, it was first reported that

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...

clubs,

, and Bharat F.C., the direct-entry side from the previous season, would be withdrawing from the I-League due to the lack of a "long-term vision" for the league. Then, towards the end of October, it was announced that both Pune and Bharat FC had failed to compile to the AFC-licensing criteria needed to participate in the I-League. On 21 November 2015, it was confirmed that Royal Wahingdoh, another debutant club from the previous season, were withdrawing from the league.

Stadiums and locations

:''Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.''

Personnel and kits

Head coaching changes

Transfers

Foreign players

Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to Five per team. A team could use Four foreign players on the field each game.

League table

Result table

Season statistics

Top scorers

Top Indian scorers

Hat-tricks

Awards

AIFF Awards

All India Football Federation awarded the following awards for the I-League season. * Best player of I-League:

Sony Norde , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

(Mohun Bagan) * Best goalkeeper of I-League:

Amrinder Singh Amrinder Ranjit Singh ( pa, ਅਮਰਿੰਦਰ ਰਣਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ; born 27 May 1993) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Indian Super League club Odisha and the India national team. Early life and ...

(Bengaluru FC) * Best defender of I-League: John Johnson (Bengaluru FC) * Best midfielder of I-League:

Eugeneson Lyngdoh Eugeneson Lyngdoh (born 10 September 1986) is a member of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly representing the Mawphlang constituency. He is also a former Indian footballer who lastly played as a midfielder for Indian Super League side East Be ...

(Bengaluru FC) * Best forward of I-League: Ranti Martins (East Bengal) * Best coach of I-League: Ashley Westwood (Bengaluru FC) * Best organizer of I-League:

References

External links

Official website