The 2020–21 I-League (known as the ''Hero I-League'' for sponsorship reasons) was the 14th season of the
I-League
The I-League is the men's second professional football division of the Indian football league system behind the Indian Super League. Administered by the All India Football Federation, it is currently contested by 13 clubs. It operates as a s ...
, one of the top tier Indian professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
leagues, since its establishment in 2007. The tournament was hosted in
bio-secure bubble
A bio-secure bubble, also known as a bubble, or hub city, was a hosting arrangement for sporting events that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, under which events were held at a centralized site, often behind closed doors, with strict quarant ...
across four venues in
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
situation in India.
Mohun Bagan
Mohun Bagan Super Giant, commonly referred to as Mohun Bagan, is an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest football clubs in Asia. The club competes in the Indian Super League, ...
was declared the champion of the
2019–20 season after the cancellation of matches due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, since the second placed team could not catch up even if all 20 games were completed.
However, following Mohun Bagan's merger with
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...
(ISL) club
ATK, the club began competing in the ISL from the
2020–21 ISL season.
Throughout the
First Phase, Churchill Brothers kept its dominance with an unbeaten run of 11 games, while in the
Second Phase, Gokulam Kerala, Churchill Brothers and TRAU traded the lead several times throughout the
Championship Stage. Entering the final matchday, Gokulam Kerala were ahead on goal difference. However, with the Gokulam and TRAU facing off, either team could claim the title with a win. A draw in the Gokulam Kerala–TRAU match and a win were needed for Churchill Brothers to be crowned champions. The game ended in a 4–1 win for Gokulam, giving the ''Malabarians'' their first I-league title and qualification for the
AFC Cup
The AFC Champions League Two (abbreviated as the ACL Two or ACL2) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation. It is the second-tier competition of Asian club football, ranked below the AFC C ...
.
NEROCA finished bottom of the
Relegation Stage and were to relegated, but were reinstated by AIFF after the viewing the situation of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
Changes from last season
Changes in rules and regulations
*AIFF has implemented the '3+1' foreigners rule from this season. Under this rule, each club will be allowed to field a maximum of four foreign players and one of those four foreign players must be from an
AFC affiliated country.
*Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, this season's league format was shortened. All teams will face each other once in the first leg of the league, then they will be divided into two different groups. According to points table from first leg, top six teams will face each other once again in the
Championship stage, where the team with most points (cumulative points collected from all fifteen matches) will be declared the winner of the league and qualify for the
2022 AFC Cup group stage. The other five teams will play against each other in a
Relegation stage where the team with the lowest points (cumulative points collected from all fourteen matches) will be relegated to the
2nd Division League.
Number of clubs
All India Football Federation
All India Football Federation (AIFF) is the governing body of football, futsal and beach soccer in India. It is a member of FIFA, and is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation and South Asian Football Federation.
It is affiliated wit ...
(AIFF) issued an invitation to accept bids for new clubs from non I-League cities, like
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
,
Gangtok
Gangtok (, ) is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Sikkim. The seat of East Sikkim district, eponymous district, Gangtok is in the eastern Himalayas, Himalayan range, at an elevation of . The city's population of 100 ...
,
Ranchi
Ranchi (; ) is the capital city and also the largest district by population of the Indian state of Jharkhand. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern ...
,
Jaipur
Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...
,
Jodhpur
Jodhpur () is the second-largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, after its capital Jaipur. As of 2023, the city has a population of 1.83 million. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Jodhpur district and ...
,
Mangalore
Mangaluru (), formerly called Mangalore ( ), is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bengaluru, the st ...
,
Bhopal
Bhopal (; ISO 15919, ISO: Bhōpāl, ) is the capital (political), capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes,'' due to ...
,
Lucknow
Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...
,
Kanpur
Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...
,
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...
and
Calicut
Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature.
It is the nineteenth large ...
among many others, to join the league from 2020 onwards. The invitation mentioned that the entity which wins the bid will be granted the right to own and operate a new football club. On 12 August, AIFF announced that
Sudeva of
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
would join the league from this season and
Sreenidi Deccan, which is based in
Hyderabad
Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
, will be playing from
Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam (; List of renamed places in India, formerly known as Vizagapatam, and also referred to as Vizag, Visakha, and Waltair) is the largest and most populous metropolitan city in the States and union territories of India, Indian stat ...
from the following season.
East Bengal
East Bengal (; ''Purbô Bangla/Purbôbongo'') was the eastern province of the Dominion of Pakistan, which covered the territory of modern-day Bangladesh. It consisted of the eastern portion of the Bengal region, and existed from 1947 until 195 ...
and
Mohun Bagan
Mohun Bagan Super Giant, commonly referred to as Mohun Bagan, is an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest football clubs in Asia. The club competes in the Indian Super League, ...
moved to the
Indian Super League
The Indian Super League (ISL) is a professional association football league in India and the highest level of the Indian football league system. Administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and its commercial partner Football Sport ...
, when East Bengal joined the league as an expansion team, while
Mohun Bagan
Mohun Bagan Super Giant, commonly referred to as Mohun Bagan, is an Indian professional football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, it is one of the oldest football clubs in Asia. The club competes in the Indian Super League, ...
and
ATK, the champions of
2019–20 ISL season, merged to play as
ATK Mohun Bagan in the ISL.
Promoted clubs
Promoted from the
2019–20 2nd Division League
*
Mohammedan
''Mohammedan'' (also spelled ''Muhammadan'', ''Mahommedan'', ''Mahomedan'' or ''Mahometan'') is a term for a follower of Muhammad, the Islamic prophet. It is used as both a noun and an adjective, meaning belonging or relating to, either Muhamm ...
Relegated clubs
Relegated from the
2019–20 I-League
*None
Teams
Stadiums and locations
Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, all the matches will be played in a single venue. AIFF declared
Kolkata
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
as the venue on 14 August. Matches will be played in
Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan,
Kishore Bharati Krirangan
Kishore Bharati Krirangan (commonly known as Mukundapur Stadium) is a multi-purpose stadium in Kolkata, West Bengal. used mainly for Association football, football matches. The capacity of the stadium is 12,000 and the size of the sports comple ...
and
Mohun Bagan Ground
Mohun Bagan Ground, also known as Mohun Bagan–Calcutta FC Ground, is a football stadium located in Maidan, Kolkata, just opposite Eden Gardens. Due to certain restrictions by the Indian Armed Forces, who own all the land surrounding Fort W ...
in Kolkata, and
Kalyani Stadium
Kalyani Stadium is a stadium in Kalyani, West Bengal, Kalyani, West Bengal, India. The stadium holds 20,000 spectators. It usually hosts matches of the I-League and the Calcutta Football League.
About
It is the home stadium of Mohun Bagan A. ...
in
Kalyani.
Personnel and sponsorship
Managerial changes
Transfers
Foreign players
Minimum of three and maximum of four foreign players including one player from AFC—affiliated country per team. Indian Arrows cannot sign any foreign players as they are a part of AIFF's developmental program. The newly joined team,
Sudeva Delhi will field an all-Indian squad for its debut I-League season.
First phase
Standings
Fixtures and results
All matches were played at neutral venues. The "home" and "away" are designated for administrative purposes.
Positions by matchday
Results by games
Second phase
Championship stage (Group A)
Fixtures and results
All matches were played at neutral venues. The "home" and "away" are designated for administrative purposes.
Positions by matchday
Results by games
Relegation stage (Group B)
Fixtures and results
All matches were played at neutral venues. The "home" and "away" are designated for administrative purposes.
Positions by matchday
Results by games
Final standings
Season statistics
Scoring
Top scorers
''The table includes only the top 10 goalscorers of this season.''
Top Indian scorers
''The table includes only the list of top Indian goalscorers with more than 2 goals in this season.''
Top assists
''The table includes only the top 10 assist providers of the season.''
Hat-tricks
Clean Sheets
''The table includes only the list of top goalkeepers with more than 1 cleansheet in this season.''
Discipline
* Most yellow cards: 5
**
Lalrindika Ralte (Real Kashmir)
**
Sairuat Kima (Sudeva Delhi)
* Most red cards: 2
**
Vincy Barretto (Gokulam Kerala)
Awards
* Match 1 - Match 55 = ''
First Phase''
* Match 56 - Match 80 = ''
Second Phase''
Hero of the Match
Season awards
Team of the season
Source
arunfoot.com
See also
*
2020–21 Indian Super League season
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2020-21 Indian Super League season
I-League seasons
1
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...