This season marks the addition of four new teams, with

Lajong SSC Shillong Lajong FC (founded as Lajong SC) is an Indian professional football club based in Shillong, Meghalaya, that competes in the Shillong Premier League. The club was established in 1983 with the prime objective of improving the declining st ...

Pune FC Pune Football Club was an Indian professional football club based in Pune, Maharashtra. The club has competed in the I-League, then top flight of Indian football league system. The club was one of the most professional clubs in Indian footba ...

, Salgaocar Sports Club and Viva Kerala are confirmed to participate in 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 ...

. With the inception of these four clubs, many club transfers have been undergone within India, and around the world. The length of the regular season will be longer than in previous years, with 26 rounds rather than 22. The season kicked off on 1 October 2009 with

Mahindra United Mahindra United Football Club (formerly known as Mahindra & Mahindra) was an Indian professional football club based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Founded in 1962, the club competed in the I-League, then top tier of Indian football league system, b ...

hosting defending champions

Churchill Brothers Churchill Brothers FC Goa, or simply known as Churchill Brothers, is an Indian professional football club based in Margao, Goa, that competes in the I-League, alongside Goa Professional League. Founded in 1988 in Margao, the club usually p ...

in Mumbai.

Rule changes

India became the latest member association to adopt AFC's 3+1 rule which will allow clubs to recruit one player of Asian origin in addition to their regular quota of three foreigners. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) executive committee decided to embrace the new AFC rule which encourages the mobility of talented Asian players and provides a fillip to the regional game.

AFC Campaign

Two of the I-League teams were playing in the

2010 AFC Cup The 2010 AFC Cup was the seventh edition of the AFC Cup, playing between clubs from nations who are members of the Asian Football Confederation. With the Asian Football Confederation currently reviewing the format of the AFC Champions League bet ...

. This had caused some delays in scheduling. East Bengal lost all its round robin matches and was out of the tournament, but Churchill Brothers were at Knockout stage.

Stadia and locations

Managerial changes

League table

Fixtures and results

Top goalscorers

''As of 18 May 2010'' (season end) ;21 goals *

Odafa Onyeka Okolie Odafa Onyeka Okolie (born 6 June 1985) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who spent most of his career in India. He last played for Gokulam Kerala in the I-League. He was once the highest paid footballer in I-league history, earning a ...

''(

)'' ;16 goals * Muritala Ali ''(

)'' * Josimar ''( Chirag United Kerala)'' *

Ekene Ikenwa Ekene Michael Ikenwa (born 14 September 1977 in Lagos) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who last played for PSBK Blitar in the Liga Indonesia Premier Division. Ekene played as a forward Forward is a relative direction, the oppo ...

''(

Salgaocar Salgaocar Football Club is an Indian professional football club based in Vasco, Goa, that competes in the Goa Professional League. They have also played in the I-League, then top flight of Indian football league system. Founded in 1956, the clu ...

)'' ;15 goals * Ranty Martins ''( Dempo)'' ;14 goals * Edmar Figueira ''(

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 ...

)'' * N.D.Opara ''(

Air India Air India is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered at New Delhi. It is owned by Talace Private Limited, a Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Tata Sons, after Air India Limited's former owner, the Government of India, completed ...

)'' *

Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer and musician. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and ...

''(

)'' * Jose Ramirez Barreto ''(

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 ...

)'' ;12 goals * Chidi Edeh ''(

)'' * Edmilson ''( Chirag United Kerala)'' ;11 goals * Felix Chimaokwu ''(

)'' ;10 goals * Arata Izumi ''(

)'' * Junior Obagbemiro ''( Sporting Goa)''

Hat tricks

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2009-10 I-League I-League seasons 1

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...