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 win ...

, the Indian professional football 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 India ...

and DSK Shivajians through a direct-entry spot.

Teams & Season Details

After the

2014–15 I-League The 2014–15 I-League (known as the ''Hero I-League'' for sponsorship reasons) was the eighth season of the I-League, the Indian professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 2007. The season began on 17 Januar ...

season, three-time

champions, Dempo, were relegated to the

Mizo Mizo may refer to: *Mizo people, an ethnic group native to north-eastern India, western Myanmar (Burma) and eastern Bangladesh *Mizo language, a language spoken by the Mizo people *Mizoram, a state in Northeast India *Lusei people, an ethnic group ...

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, ( 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 As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

clubs,

, and

Bharat F.C. Bharat FC (also known as Kalyani Bharat FC) was an Indian professional football team based in Pune, Maharashtra that competed in the I-League, then top tier of Indian football league system. The team was founded on 26 August 2014 by Kalyani Gr ...

, 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 Royal Wahingdoh FC (also known as Wahingdoh Sports Club) was an Indian professional football club based in Shillong, Meghalaya. Nicknamed "Royals", the club participated in I-League, then top flight of Indian football league system. Royal Wahi ...

, 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 The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the national governing body of football in India. It is a member of FIFA, the international governing body of football and affiliated to Asian Football Confederation. It is affiliated to Ministry ...

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 Association football, footballer who plays as a goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Indian Super League c ...

(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 Ben ...

(Bengaluru FC) * Best forward of I-League:

Ranti Martins Ranti Martins Soleye (born 5 September 1986) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Martins regarded as one of the best foreign players to play in the India. He is the record goal scorer in National Football Le ...

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

References

External links

Official website