The seventh
edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) will kick off on November 20 with ATK Mohun
Bagan, taking on Kerala Blasters on November 20 at the GMC Stadium in Goa’s
Bambolin.
The 20-21
season will be unlike any other edition with the coronavirus pandemic forcing the organisers to make a number
of changes to the tournament this year.
From playing
behind closed doors, to the increase in squad sizes and the addition of two new
teams, let’s take a look at all the changes to ISL 20-21 season from the
previous year.
No Fans!
Like every other sporting event in the world, the coronavirus pandemic has
forced the ISL to close its doors to a burgeoning fan base across the country.
Additionally,
in order to maintain a COVID-19 bio-secure bubble, all fixtures of the 20-21 season
will be played in three venues in Goa, the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda
– home of FC Goa – the GMC Athletic Stadium in Bambolin and the Tilak Maidan
Stadium in Vasco.
ATK Mohun Bagan and SC East Bengal
The long-awaited
introduction of the two powerhouses of Indian football, Mohun Bagan AC and SC East
Bengal, has finally come to fruition this year, increasing the total number
of teams in the ISL to 11.
ATK Mohun Bagan
merged with defending champions and three-time title winners ATK to form the
ATK Mohun Bagan, while East Bengal secured sponsorship from Shree Cement Limited in August and were inducted into the top-tier tournament.
Their
additions will see the fixture list for the season grow to 115 matches in total,
20 more than last year.
Increased squad sizes
The ISL has
increased the number of players a club can register in its squad for the
upcoming edition of the tournament to 35, 10 more than last year. Each club can
now register 28 Indian players and 7 foreign nationals in their squads.
Of the
seven foreigners, at least one has to be from an Asian Football Confederation (AFC)-affiliated nation.
Maximum of 5 substitutions
With footballing
action returning after a long, pandemic-enforced break, the ISL has increased
the number of substitutions permissible in a match from three to five, in line with
a number of European leagues.
Teams will
be allowed to filed their changes over three intervals during the match, not
including the half-time break. The maximum number of players on the bench has also
been increased from seven to nine.
This change
was introduced to reduce the risk of injuries for players, who will be returning
to competitive action after along break.
Away goals rule retained
Despite teams being deprived of home advantage this year, as they will be playing in only three venues without the backing of fans, the ISL has decided to not make any changes to its away goals rule for the two-legged semifinals.
In case of a tie in the aggregate result after the conclusion of both legs of a semi-final fixture, the teams with the most number of away goals will advance to the final. If they are tied on away goals as well, a penalty shoot-out will decide the winner if the teams cannot be separated after two 15 minute-halves of extra-time.
