After being gripped by ISL mania, the ‘official’ league of Indian football resumes from next week. I-League has remained unnoticed for majority of its existence. But with the stocks of football in India on the rise, I-League has to cash in if it plans to survive for a long run.
ISL with its glamour and entertaining brand of football has caught the nation’s fancy and I-League has enormous boots to fill if it has to match ISL. The major plus for I-League is that all the local stars will be in action for their respective clubs along with superstars like Sunil Chettri.
Clubs like East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC will be back in action along with the Goan giants Salgaocar, Churchill Bros and Dempo.
They are the only clubs who draw fans to the stadium on a consistent basis and are known for their enterprising style. Bengaluru FC especially is enjoying popularity and fills it stadium to the capacity week in week out due to its attractive style of play. Their I-League win last season is only going to help them further.
This season will see a new team from Pune, Bharat FC, who will look to make a mark in the league. The league certainly lacks in glamour as compared to ISL but if the local lads step up to the plate then it’s I-League which can grab quite a few eyeballs if it can’t hog the limelight.
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