The 2022/23 Indian Super League (ISL) is underway, with 11 teams taking part. This is the ninth ISL to have happened, with the first being back in 2014. Cricket fans are excited to see a myriad of top-class games, with the competition running until February 2023.
Followers of the ISL will be hoping there is plenty of excitement at the same level as last year’s final, which featured Hyderabad FC against Kerala Blasters, with Hyderabad achieving victory and becoming the latest in a line of ISL champions. As interest in the 2022/23 ISL continues to build after just a few matches having taken place, what can we all expect from the competition this time around.
This ISL season includes a new playoff format
The matches for the ISL take place between Thursday and Sunday, which mirrors schedules in major football leagues. Fans are able to keep in touch with the latest schedules and statistics from the competition online.
One new feature they can follow this year is the revised playoff format. The addition of this format means there are two extra matches to enjoy. These matches come about because only the top two teams from the league stage qualify for the semi-finals automatically. The other semi-finalists will be decided by single-leg play-offs involving the teams that finish between third and sixth.
These play-offs will follow on from the league, where each team will play 20 matches. 10 of these matches will take place at home, and 10 will be away contests.
The running order for the play-offs, semi-finals, and final is as follows:
- Eliminator One between the third and sixth-placed teams.
- Eliminator Two between the fourth and fifth-placed teams.
- Semi-Final One between the league winner and winner of Eliminator Two (two legs).
- Semi-Final Two between the runner-up in the league and the winner of Eliminator One (two legs).
- Final between the winners of the two semi-finals.
The final of the competition will take place on 26 February 2023, which makes this ISL a longer-running competition than normal.
Which team will triumph this ISL season?
The eleven teams taking part in the 2022/23 ISL all have a chance of progressing through to the semi-final stage. They are:
- ATK Mohun Bagan
- Bengaluru FC
- Chennaiyin FC
- East Bengal FC
- FC Goa
- Hyderabad FC
- Jamshedpur FC
- Kerala Blasters FC
- Mumbai City FC
- NorthEast United FC
- Odisha FC
It’s early days in the competition yet, so it’s difficult to tell which team will eventually triumph. Currently, three teams have one draw and one win behind them. These teams are Hyderabad FC, Chennaiyin FC, and Bengaluru FC.
Having triumphed last year, Hyderabad FC will be confident again, and they are sure to attract considerable attention from fans and those wanting to place a bet on the competition. However, if you look at expert predictions concerning the winners of the ISL, you can see other teams on the Indian market that are likely to attract wagers in online casinos. These teams are Mumbai City FC and ATK Mohun Bagan. They seem to be the ones to beat.
However, the truth is that there is no certainty when it comes to the ISL, especially with the new format. Fans will be following the action with excitement, and only when we reach the end of the final will we see if any of the favourites actually triumph.
