The 2017–18 I-League 2nd Division (known as Hero 2017–18 I-League 2nd Division, for sponsorship reasons) was the 11th season of the
I-League 2nd Division, the second division Indian
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 2008. The season started with the preliminary rounds from 14 March to 15 May 2018. The final round of the league took place between 21 May to 30 May 2018 at FSV Arena,
Bengaluru
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
.
This season featured 18 teams, divided into three groups of six teams each. The season also featured the reserve sides of seven
Indian Super League clubs, none of which were eligible to qualify for the final round.
won the title on 30 May 2018 and earned the promotion to
2018–19 I-League
The 2018–19 I-League was the 12th season of the I-League, the top Indian professional football league, since its establishment in 2007. The season started on 26 October 2018 and is scheduled to conclude in March 2019. Unlike the Indian Super L ...
. They also made history becoming first team from state of
Jammu & Kashmir to enter the first division of
I-League
Format
Just like the
previous season, the I-League 2nd Division will feature a preliminary round and a final round.
During the preliminary round, the 18 teams will be divided into three groups of six teams each. All the matches during the preliminary round will be played in a
double round-robin basis, in which every team plays all others in their group once at home and once away.
The winners of the three groups, along with the best second placed team, will qualify for the final round. The seven
Indian Super League reserve sides in the league will not be eligible to qualify for the final round.
During the final round, the four teams will face each other in a single-leg league system at a neutral venue, where each team faces each other once. At the end of the round, the team in first will earn promotion to the next division of Indian football.
Teams
Stadiums and locations
Personnel and kits
Foreign players
Each club, excluding the Indian Super League reserve sides, can register three foreign players in their squad. One of the foreign players has to be from an
AFC
AFC may stand for:
Organizations
* Action for Children, a UK children's charity
* AFC Enterprises, the franchisor of Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits
* Africa Finance Corporation, a pan-African multilateral development finance institution
* A ...
Member Nation.
Preliminary round
Group A
Fixtures and results
Group B
Fixtures and results
Group C
Fixtures and results
Final round
Fixtures and results
Season statistics
Top scorers
Clean sheets
Highest Attendances
References
External links
Official I-League website
{{DEFAULTSORT:2017-18 I-League 2nd Division
I-League 2nd Division seasons
2017–18 in Indian football leagues