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14th season of the I-League From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2020–21 I-League (known as the Hero I-League for sponsorship reasons) was the 14th season of the I-League, one of the top tier Indian professional football leagues, since its establishment in 2007. The tournament was hosted in bio-secure bubble across four venues in Kolkata due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation in India.
Season | 2020–21 |
---|---|
Dates | 9 January – 27 March 2021 |
Champions | Gokulam Kerala 1st I-League title 1st Indian title |
AFC Cup | Gokulam Kerala |
Matches played | 80 |
Goals scored | 216 (2.7 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Bidyashagar Singh (12 goals) |
Best goalkeeper | Kiran Chemjong (105 mins per goal) |
Highest scoring | Indian Arrows 2–5 Churchill Brothers (10 January 2021) Gokulam Kerala 4–3 Punjab (14 January 2021) Real Kashmir 4–3 NEROCA (13 February 2021) |
Longest winning run | TRAU (5 games) |
Longest unbeaten run | Churchill Brothers (11 games) |
Longest winless run | Indian Arrows (7 games) |
Longest losing run | NEROCA (6 games) |
← 2019–20 2021–22 → |
Mohun Bagan was declared the champion of the 2019–20 season after the cancellation of matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic, since the second placed team could not catch up even if all 20 games were completed.[1] However, following Mohun Bagan's merger with Indian Super League (ISL) club ATK, the club began competing in the ISL from the 2020–21 ISL season.[2]
Throughout the First Phase, Churchill Brothers kept its dominance with an unbeaten run of 11 games, while in the Second Phase, Gokulam Kerala, Churchill Brothers and TRAU traded the lead several times throughout the Championship Stage. Entering the final matchday, Gokulam Kerala were ahead on goal difference. However, with the Gokulam and TRAU facing off, either team could claim the title with a win. A draw in the Gokulam Kerala–TRAU match and a win were needed for Churchill Brothers to be crowned champions. The game ended in a 4–1 win for Gokulam, giving the Malabarians their first I-league title and qualification for the AFC Cup. NEROCA finished bottom of the Relegation Stage and were to relegated, but were reinstated by AIFF after the viewing the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
All India Football Federation (AIFF) issued an invitation to accept bids for new clubs from non I-League cities, like Delhi, Gangtok, Ranchi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Mangalore, Bhopal, Lucknow, Kanpur, Ahmedabad and Calicut among many others, to join the league from 2020 onwards. The invitation mentioned that the entity which wins the bid will be granted the right to own and operate a new football club.[6] On 12 August, AIFF announced that Sudeva of Delhi would join the league from this season and Sreenidi Deccan, which is based in Hyderabad, will be playing from Visakhapatnam from the following season.[7][8][9]
East Bengal and Mohun Bagan moved to the Indian Super League, when East Bengal joined the league as an expansion team, while Mohun Bagan and ATK, the champions of 2019–20 ISL season, merged to play as ATK Mohun Bagan in the ISL.[10][11]
Promoted from the 2019–20 2nd Division League
Relegated from the 2019–20 I-League
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all the matches will be played in a single venue. AIFF declared Kolkata as the venue on 14 August.[13] Matches will be played in Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kishore Bharati Krirangan and Mohun Bagan Ground[14] in Kolkata, and Kalyani Stadium in Kalyani.[15]
Stadium | Capacity | Location |
---|---|---|
Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan | 85,000 | Salt Lake, Kolkata |
Kishore Bharati Krirangan | 12,000 | Jadavpore, Kolkata |
Mohun Bagan Ground | 20,000 | Maidan, Kolkata |
Kalyani Municipal Stadium | 20,000 | Kalyani, Nadia |
Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit Manufacturer | Shirt Sponsor |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aizawl | ![]() |
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Vamos[16] | NECS Limited[17] |
Chennai City | ![]() |
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Nivia Sports[18] | TVS Group |
Churchill Brothers | ![]() |
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Nivia Sports[18] | Churchill |
Gokulam Kerala | ![]() |
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SEGA[19] | Sree Gokulam Group[20] |
Indian Arrows | ![]() |
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SIX5SIX[21] | Hero MotoCorp |
Mohammedan | ![]() |
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Trak Only[22] | BunkerHill Sports[23] |
NEROCA | ![]() |
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Ambition Sportswear[24] | Grow Manipur Team[25] |
Punjab | ![]() |
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T10 Sports[26] | RoundGlass Sports[27] |
Real Kashmir | ![]() |
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Adidas[28] | Hotel CH2[28] |
Sudeva Delhi | ![]() |
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Puma[29] | Liquid Life[30] |
TRAU | ![]() |
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Romi Bag[31] | HVS Foundation |
Team | Outgoing coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Ref. | Position in table | Incoming coach | Date of appointment | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gokulam Kerala | ![]() |
End of contract | 17 August 2020 | [32] | Pre-season | ![]() |
19 August 2020 | [33] |
Churchill Brothers | ![]() |
End of interim period | 23 September 2020 | [34] | ![]() |
23 September 2020 | [34] | |
Chennai City | ![]() |
Mutual consent | 26 October 2020 | [35] | ![]() |
10 December 2020 | [36] | |
Aizawl | ![]() |
Mutual consent | 18 January 2021 | [37] | 10th | ![]() |
19 January 2021 | [37] |
Mohammedan | ![]() |
Mutual consent | 19 February 2021 | [38] | 7th | ![]() |
19 February 2021 | [39] |
Minimum of three and maximum of four foreign players including one player from AFC—affiliated country per team.[40] Indian Arrows cannot sign any foreign players as they are a part of AIFF's developmental program. The newly joined team, Sudeva Delhi will field an all-Indian squad for its debut I-League season.[41]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Churchill Brothers | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 22 | Promote to Championship Stage (Group A) |
2 | Punjab | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 18 | |
3 | Real Kashmir | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 18 | 9 | +9 | 17 | |
4 | Gokulam Kerala | 10 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 20 | 14 | +6 | 16 | |
5 | TRAU | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 13 | +4 | 16 | |
6 | Mohammedan | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 16 | |
7 | Aizawl | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 13 | 8 | +5 | 15 | Demote to Relegation Stage (Group B) |
8 | Sudeva Delhi | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 9 | |
9 | Chennai City | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 19 | −12 | 9 | |
10 | NEROCA | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 15 | −2 | 8 | |
11 | Indian Arrows | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 31 | −25 | 4 |
All matches were played at neutral venues. The "home" and "away" are designated for administrative purposes.
Home \ Away | CHB | PUN | REK | GOK | TRAU | MDS | AIZ | SDA | CNC | NER | IDA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Churchill Brothers | — | — | 0–0 | — | 1–1 | — | 0–0 | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | — |
Punjab | 0–1 | — | — | — | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | — | — |
Real Kashmir | — | 1–1 | — | — | 1–1 | — | — | 1–1 | — | 4–3 | 6–0 |
Gokulam Kerala | 2–3 | 4–3 | 0–0 | — | — | — | — | — | 1–2 | — | 4–0 |
TRAU | — | 0–2 | — | 1–3 | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | — | 2–0 | — | — |
Mohammedan | 0–0 | — | 2–0 | 2–1 | — | — | — | — | 2–1 | 0–0 | — |
Aizawl | — | — | 1–3 | 2–0 | — | 3–0 | — | 1–1 | — | — | 1–1 |
Sudeva Delhi | — | — | — | 0–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 | — | — | — | 0–2 | 3–0 |
Chennai City | 1–2 | — | 0–2 | — | — | — | 0–3 | 0–4 | — | — | 1–0 |
NEROCA | — | 0–1 | — | 1–4 | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | — | 1–2 | — | — |
Indian Arrows | 2–5 | 1–2 | — | — | 1–5 | 1–0 | — | — | — | 0–4 | — |
The table lists the positions of teams after each round mentioned in official fixtures.[42]
Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aizawl | 9 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 7 |
Chennai City | 2 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Churchill Brothers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Gokulam Kerala | 8 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
Indian Arrows | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
Mohammedan | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
NEROCA | 7 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
Punjab | 4 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
Real Kashmir | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Sudeva Delhi | 10 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
TRAU | 6 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
Promotion to Championship stage (Group A) | |
Demotion to Relegation stage (Group B) |
Match | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aizawl | L | W | D | W | D | L | D | W | L | W |
Chennai City | W | L | L | W | L | W | L | L | L | L |
Churchill Brothers | W | D | W | W | D | D | D | W | W | W |
Gokulam Kerala | L | W | L | W | D | L | W | W | W | L |
Indian Arrows | L | L | L | D | L | L | L | W | L | L |
Mohammedan | W | D | D | D | D | W | L | L | W | W |
NEROCA | D | W | L | L | D | L | L | W | L | L |
Punjab | W | L | L | D | D | W | W | W | D | W |
Real Kashmir | D | W | D | D | W | D | W | D | W | L |
Sudeva Delhi | L | W | D | L | D | W | D | L | L | L |
TRAU | D | D | D | W | D | L | W | L | W | W |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gokulam Kerala | 15 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 31 | 17 | +14 | 29 | Champions and Qualification for 2022 AFC Cup group stage |
2 | Churchill Brothers | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 22 | 17 | +5 | 29 | |
3 | TRAU | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 27 | 19 | +8 | 26 | |
4 | Punjab | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 15 | +3 | 22 | |
5 | Real Kashmir | 15 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 23 | 18 | +5 | 21 | |
6 | Mohammedan | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 20 | −2 | 20 |
All matches were played at neutral venues. The "home" and "away" are designated for administrative purposes.
Home \ Away | CHB | GOK | MDS | PUN | REK | TRAU |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Churchill Brothers | — | 0–3 | 1–4 | 3–2 | — | — |
Gokulam Kerala | — | — | — | — | 1–1 | 4–1 |
Mohammedan | — | 1–2 | — | — | — | 0–4 |
Punjab | — | 0–1 | 3–3 | — | 1–0 | — |
Real Kashmir | 1–2 | — | 2–1 | — | — | 1–3 |
TRAU | 1–1 | — | — | 1–0 | — | — |
The table lists the positions of teams after each round mentioned in official fixtures.
Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Churchill Brothers | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
Gokulam Kerala | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Mohammedan | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Punjab | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
Real Kashmir | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
TRAU | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Match | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Churchill Brothers | W | L | L | D | W |
Gokulam Kerala | W | W | D | W | W |
Mohammedan | L | D | W | L | L |
Punjab | L | D | L | W | L |
Real Kashmir | L | L | D | L | W |
TRAU | W | W | W | D | L |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Aizawl | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 21 | 12 | +9 | 24 |
2 | Sudeva Delhi[lower-alpha 1] | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 16 | 14 | +2 | 18 |
3 | Chennai City | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 16 | 25 | −9 | 15 |
4 | Indian Arrows[lower-alpha 2] | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 38 | −27 | 10 |
5 | NEROCA[lower-alpha 3] | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 22 | −8 | 8 |
All matches were played at neutral venues. The "home" and "away" are designated for administrative purposes.
Home \ Away | AIZ | NER | SDA | CNC | IDA |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aizawl | — | — | 2–1 | — | 1–2 |
NEROCA | 0–1 | — | — | 1–2 | — |
Sudeva Delhi | — | 1–0 | — | — | 1–0 |
Chennai City | 1–3 | — | 1–2 | — | — |
Indian Arrows | — | 3–0 | — | 0–5 | — |
The table lists the positions of teams after each round mentioned in official fixtures.
Matchday | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aizawl | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Chennai City | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Indian Arrows | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
NEROCA | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Sudeva Delhi | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Match | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aizawl | W | L | W | W |
Chennai City | L | W | L | W |
Indian Arrows | W | L | W | L |
NEROCA | L | L | L | L |
Sudeva Delhi | W | W | W | L |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gokulam Kerala (C) | 15 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 31 | 17 | +14 | 29 |
2 | Churchill Brothers | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 22 | 17 | +5 | 29 |
3 | TRAU | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 27 | 19 | +8 | 26 |
4 | Punjab | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 18 | 15 | +3 | 22 |
5 | Real Kashmir | 15 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 23 | 18 | +5 | 21 |
6 | Mohammedan | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 20 | −2 | 20 |
7 | Aizawl | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 21 | 12 | +9 | 24 |
8 | Sudeva Delhi | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 16 | 14 | +2 | 18 |
9 | Chennai City | 14 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 16 | 25 | −9 | 15 |
10 | Indian Arrows | 14 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 38 | −27 | 10 |
11 | NEROCA | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 22 | −8 | 8 |
The table includes only the top 10 goalscorers of this season.
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
TRAU | 12 |
2 | ![]() |
Churchill Brothers | 11 |
![]() |
Gokulam Kerala | ||
4 | ![]() |
Churchill Brothers | 8 |
5 | ![]() |
Punjab | 7 |
6 | ![]() |
TRAU | 6 |
![]() |
Real Kashmir | ||
![]() |
Mohammedan | ||
![]() |
Real Kashmir | ||
10 | ![]() |
Gokulam Kerala | 5 |
Source: I-League |
The table includes only the list of top Indian goalscorers with more than 2 goals in this season.
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Bidyasagar Singh | TRAU | 12 |
2 | MC Malsawmzuala | Aizawl | 3 |
Lalremsanga Fanai | Aizawl | ||
William Pauliankhum | Sudeva Delhi | ||
Harsh Patre | Indian Arrows | ||
Vineeth Velmurugan | Chennai City | ||
Konsam Phalguni Singh | TRAU | ||
Brandon Vanlalremdika | Aizawl | ||
Kean Lewis | Sudeva Delhi | ||
Danish Farooq Bhat | Real Kashmir | ||
Emil Benny | Gokulam Kerala | ||
Songpu Singsit | NEROCA | ||
Source: I-League |
The table includes only the top 10 assist providers of the season.
Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
Gokulam Kerala | 7 |
2 | ![]() |
TRAU | 6 |
3 | ![]() |
Real Kashmir | 5 |
4 | ![]() |
TRAU | 4 |
![]() |
Mohammedan | ||
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Gokulam Kerala | ||
7 | ![]() |
NEROCA | 3 |
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Churchill Brothers | ||
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NEROCA | ||
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Churchill Brothers | ||
Source: Global Sports Archive |
Player | Club | Against | Goals | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
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TRAU | Mohammedan | 3 | 5 March 2021 |
Real Kashmir | 10 March 2021 | |||
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Churchill Brothers | Indian Arrows | 3 | 10 January 2021 |
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Real Kashmir | NEROCA | 3 | 13 February 2021 |
The table includes only the list of top goalkeepers with more than 1 cleansheet in this season.
Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() |
Punjab | 7 |
2 | ![]() |
Real Kashmir | 5 |
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Sudeva Delhi | ||
4 | ![]() |
Churchill Brothers | 4 |
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Gokulam Kerala | ||
6 | ![]() |
Mohammedan | 3 |
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Aizawl | ||
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NEROCA | ||
9 | ![]() |
Churchill Brothers | 2 |
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Indian Arrows | ||
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TRAU | ||
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Aizawl | ||
Source: I-League |
Award | Winner | Club |
---|---|---|
Hero of the League | ![]() |
TRAU |
Golden Boot | ![]() |
TRAU |
Golden Glove | ![]() |
Punjab |
Jarnail Singh Award (Best Defender) | ![]() |
Churchill Brothers |
Best Midfielder | ![]() |
TRAU |
Syed Abdul Rahim Award (Best Coach) | ![]() |
TRAU |
Emerging Player of the League | ![]() |
Gokulam Kerala |
Source: arunfoot.com
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