The first match of the season will be played in Kochi between champions ATK and runners-up Kerala Blasters.
The Indian Super League starts on November 17 in Kochi with hosts Kerala Blasters taking on champions ATK. The match, though will be preceded by an opening ceremony that will feature Bollywood stars Salman Khanand Katrina Kaif. The season will also feature the debut of Jamshedpur FC and former I-League champions and AFC Cup runners up Bengaluru FC in the league.
Also Read: ISL 2017: Complete Squads Of All ISL Ten Teams
This time though, the matches will be played three days a week with two being played on Sundays. This makes it the longest league across sports in India. A total of 95 matches will be played and this includes the knockout stages that comes afer the league stage.
.@BeingSalmanKhan and Katrina Kaif will team up to kick-off Hero ISL 2017-18 in Kochi on November 17th at 7:15 PM! #LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/rKZUMihXwD
— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) November 6, 2017
It was earlier decided that the tournament would start in Kolkata where defending champions ATK are based. But the organizers decided to shift it to Kochi where last season’s runners up Kerala Blasters are situated. The ISL will run parallel to the I-League. Although its the I-League that will send a team to the AFC Champions League playoff, the winner of the ISL will qualify for the AFC Cup group stage. It is the first time in its four-year existence that the ISL is gaining recognition as an official league from the AIFF and AFC.
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