The I-League 2022-23 will kick off with reigning champions Gokulam Kerala hosting last year’s runners-up Mohammedan Sporting at the Manjeri Payyanad Stadium in Kerala on today.
Unlike the previous two I-League seasons, when all the matches were in West Bengal due to COVID-19 restrictions, the I-League 2022-23 season will be contested in the traditional home and away format. There will be no bio-bubbles and teams will be free to move around.
I-League 2022-23 to be live on Eurosport, DD Sport
The I-League 2022-23 season will be live on the DD Sports and Eurosport channels as well as live streamed on the Discovery+ OTT platform, confirmed Shaji Prabhakaran, the Secretary General of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) during a press conference on Friday.
“It’s a big thing as this hasn’t happened before. Thanks to our partner FSDL, we have been able to ensure good quality coverage for the I-League. In our meeting we have decided that for next season as well, everything should be decided well ahead of the start of the campaign,” the secretary added. Moreover, a question was thrown at the AIFF official regarding the promotion plans of the I-League 2022-23 winners to the ISL.
“We’ll come back to you on that. Our legal team is working on the terms and regulations and we should share an update with everyone in the next few days,” Prabhakaran said.
Now in a big shot in the arm of the I-League players, the winner of the I-League will be promoted to the ISL 2023-24 season. The same would also happen in ISL 2024-25 season.
A total of 11 teams will be taking part in the I-League and there will be a lot of competition between the teams. Gokulam Kerala FC is the defending champions of the I-League and also won the previous season to that. They are a juggernaut and will be one of the biggest forces to reckon with in the I-League. Gokulam could well go on to win the I-League again and complete a hat-trick of titles.
A total of 129 games will be played this season and matches will kick off at 2 PM, 4:30 PMand 7:30 PM. The table topper will be declared the league’s winner at the end of the season, and also receive promotion to 2023-24 Indian Super League, while the two teams with the lowest points will be relegated to 2023-24 I-League 2nd Division.
