ISL 2023-24: Many Firsts as 'New is the Old' in Indian Super League Season 10

The Indian Super League turns 10. From a carnival sideshow to taking centre stage in Indian football, the ISL starts again.

Fikru Teferra’s dink goal set the ball rolling and 815 matches with 2266 goals later the Indian Super League is no longer a closed league, one in which a team has to buy their way in. Punjab FC will rightfully participate after being the first team to be promoted from the I-League. Kerala Blasters, FC Goa, Chennaiyin FC, NorthEast United and Mumbai City FC remain from the first season all the way back in 2014. Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC joined the league come the fourth season as Pune City FC ceased to exist in the 2018–2019 season and Hyderabad FC took their place the following year. That same season, Delhi Dynamos wrapped up and the franchise was moved to form Odisha FC.

On completion of half a decade, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan joined the league, with ATK owners at the time buying a stake in the former. The team was known as ATK Mohun Bagan from 2020-21 to last season and have since been renamed Mohun Bagan Super Giant.

That gives our participants in the 2023-24 season as the ISL completes a decade.

New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is also making a comeback with new entrants Punjab playing their home matches in the national capital.

Mohun Bagan’s Juan Ferrando, Bengaluru’s Simon Grayson, Kerala Blasters’ Ivan Vukomanovic and Mumbai City’s Des Buckingham are the only coaches from last season. Punjab opted to stay with their I-League-winning coach Staikos Vergetis.

NorthEast United roped in Juan Pedro Benali for the season. East Bengal sacked Stephen Constantine to bring in former Bengaluru coach Carles Cuadrat. Odisha started a new chapter with former Mumbai City boss Sergio Lobera. Goa decided to bring in former Hyderabad boss Manolo Marquez, after sacking Carlos Pena, with Hyderabad named Thangboi Singto as head coach. Jamshedpur brought on Scott Cooper as Chennaiyin went back to Owen Coyle.

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Last season’s League Shield winners Mumbai made wholesale changes to their squad. In comes the likes of Akash Mishra, Yoell Van Nieff, Tiri, Vinit Rai and Jayesh Rane, dropping Ahmed Jahouh, Mourtada Fall, Raynier Fernandes, Mandar Rao Desai, among others.

Defending ISL champions Mohun Bagan SG made some big moves ahead of the start of the season, roping in Sahal Abdul Samad, Anirudh Thapa and Anwar Ali from league rivals and added stars names like Hector Yuste, Armando Sadiku and Jason Cummings with Puitea, Carl McHugh, Pritam Kotal, Tiri and Slavko Damajanovic making way.

East Bengal also big moves in the transfer market, strengthening with the acquisitions of Gursimrat Singh Gill, Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Mandar, Harmanjot Khabra, Edwin Vanspaul, Nishu Kumar, Nandhakumar Sekar, Jordan Elsey, Jose Antonio Pardo Lucas, Saul Crespo, Javier Siverio and Borja Herrera.

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Odisha FC are trying to escape mid-table mediocrity and have signed a lot of Lobera regulars like Jahouh, Fall and Cy Goddard as well as getting the services of Amey Ranawade, Lenny Rodrigues and Roy Krishna.

Kerala Blasters reunited Prabir Das and Pritam Kotal and added Aibanbha Dohling to the defensive pair. Kwame Peprah, Jaushua Sotirio, Daisuke Sakai and Milos Drincic are new foreigners with Ishan Pandita set to lead the line.

Bengaluru got in Rohit Danu, Jessel Carneiro and Halicharan Narzary, adding Keziah Veendorp, Ryan Williams, Curtis Main and Slavko Damjanovic to their foreigner ranks.

FC Goa signed Udanta Singh and Sandesh Jhingan after their stint ended with Bengaluru, as well as, Carl McHugh and Odei Onaindia from Mohun Bagan and Hyderabad FC respectively. Jay Gupta, Rowlin Borges and Raynier Fernandes will add steel to their side, along with the foreigner signings of Víctor Rodriguez, Carlos Martinez and Paulo Retre.

Hyderabad FC had a poor transfer window, given that they were banned by AIFF as well as FIFA for unpaid wages. A host of stars left with Petteri Pennanen, Joe Knowles and Jonathan Moya being some notable transfers.

Chennaiyin FC have strengthened with the signings of Cristian Battocchio, Rafael Crivellaro, Connor Shields and Jordan Murray in the foreigners department along with Sarthak Golui, Farukh Chowdhary and Ayush Adhikari.

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Jamshedpur FC also relied on proven talent in the ISL, adding Petar Sliskovic, Provat Lakra, Imran Khan and Emil Benny, along with the likes of Elsinho Rei Tachikawa, Jeremy Manzorro, Alen Stevanovic.

NorthEast United FC raided Bengaluru FC and their youth team after appointing Mandar Tamhane as their new CEO. Phalguni Singh, Michel Zabaco, Yaser Hamed, Nestor Albiach, Ibson Melo and Redeem Tlang being other major signings.

Punjab FC opted to go for players from ISL, who were not getting time at their previous clubs, like Wilmar Jordan Gil, Prasanth K, Ricky Shabong, Leon Augustine, Tejas Krishna, Nikhil Prabhu and Amarjit Singh. The debutants have chosen to trust the champion players from last season.

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Given the talent on show across the board, most teams look competitive and can contribute to making the 10th season the most thrilling yet.

Anyone from Mohun Bagan SG, Mumbai City FC, East Bengal, Odisha FC, FC Goa, Bengaluru FC, Kerala Blasters and Chennaiyin FC can attain Top 6.

India have already lost their place in the top division of continental club competition and the league winners in 2023-24 will get a direct slot in the group stage of AFC Champions League 2, which will be the AFC Cup renamed.

Given there is little risk for teams at the bottom, as there is no relegation yet, it may come down to yet another season of going through the motions of being in the top division.

Till that changes, Let’s Football.