The second edition of the Indian Super League is underway and so is the hype around the tournament that adds glitz and glamour to the way the beautiful game is played in India.
From the big money involved to the celebrity support, from the international superstars to high standards of professionalism, the ISL has it all.
One of the most exciting features of the ISL are the popular regional derbies unique to the format. In 2015, there will be minimum of six derby games, starting from the one played today between FC Pune City and Mumbai City FC - the Maharashtra Derby. Hrithik Roshan's Pune side getting the better of the Ranbir Kapoor co-owned Mumbai City FC on the occasion. Others include the Southern Derby between Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters and Eastern Derby between NorthEast United FC and Atletico de Kolkata.
BCCL
Here are 11 other things that make Indian football's premier league a must watch spectacle:
1. Glittering Celeb Performances
The 2015 season of the Indian Super League kicked off in all its glory with all the celebrity owners from the world of cricket and the film industry adding value to the opening act on Saturday evening. Here are some pics...
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Time and again more such appearances will be seen. If you are not a fan of football per say, may be the celeb-quotient may seem exciting.
2. The ISL Agenda
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To see India as a global football power and qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, says its vision statement. Not a bad one to have - nor too bold neither too weak. We can surely do it and ISL is a must have element of that footballing dream.
3. What it actually wants to achieve
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To engender an entertaining and high quality football league that engages hundreds of millions of fans, drives improvement in playing standards and delivers value for all partners. Basically an effort to earn as much from football by marketing it as a profit making entity. For a league which became the world's fourth most watched in its debut season, that's not too far fetched.
4. Bridging Bollywood and cricket through football
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Football from the pre-IPL times, have time and again provided the ultimate marriage of cricket with Bollywood. The advent of the ISL has got many celebrities from the film industry push for the easily accessible sport in the country with many cricketers joining the bandwagon.
Cricketers who're directly associated with ISL are - Sachin Tendulkar (co-owner Kerala Blasters FC), Sourav Ganguly (co-owner Atletico de Kolkata), Virat Kohli (co-owner FC Goa) and MS Dhoni (co-owner Chennaiyin FC). On the other hand, the list of Bollywood backers of ISL include Abhishek Bachchan (Chennaiyin FC), Ranbir Kapoor (Mumbai City FC), Hrithik Roshan (FC Pune City), John Abraham (NorthEast United FC), Dhanush (brand ambassador Chennaiyin FC) and Varun Dhawan (brand ambassador FC Goa)
5. Atletico de Kolkata - the inaugural champions!
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Winners of the inaugural edition of ISL, Atletico de Kolkata are one of the strongest teams in the competition boasting of a impenetrable defence line and a solid infrastructure setup back home in Kolkata, where they play at their home ground the iconic Salt Lake Stadium.
They are owned by Kolkata Games and Sports Pvt. Ltd which is a consortium consisting of former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, businessmen Harshavardhan Neotia, Sanjiv Goenka, Utsav Parekh and Spanish club Atlético Madrid, from whom they derive their colours and support.
6. The star coaches
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The presence of the star coaches ensure that the ISL franchises will settle for nothing less that international quality and want to continually raise the standard of football in India.
Pictured above (from left to right) are - Kerala Blasters FC coach Peter Taylor, Atletico de Kolkata coach Antonio Lopez Habas, North East United FC coach Cesar Farias, Chennaiyin FC coach Marco Materazzi, FC Goa coach Zico, FC Pune City coach David Platt and Mumbai City FC coach Nicolas Anelka. Delhi Dynamos are coached by the legendary Brazillian defender Roberto Carlos this season who also replaces Alessandro del Piero as their marquee player
7. The marquee players
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Much like the IPL, rubbing shoulders with international stars and learning from them is the best thing Indian players can hope for during the competition. And the ISL boasts of some quality players who're still capable of displaying world class skills having played the sport world over. Pictured above (left to right) are: Brazilian footballer and Chennaiyin FC player Elano Blumer, Portuguese footballer and Atletico de Kolkata striker Helder Postiga, Brazilian footballer and FC Goa player Lucio, Norwegian footballer and Delhi Dynamos FC player John Riise, French footballer and Delhi Dynamos FC player Florent Malouda, English footballer and Kerala Blasters FC player Sanchez Watt, Romanian footballer and FC Pune City player Adrian Mutu, Portuguese footballer and North East United FC player Simao Sabrosa and French footballer and Mumbai City FC coach Nicolas Anelka
8. The best of footballing venues in India
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Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium has the highest capacity for any football ground in the country with 68,000 people and boasts of the best of the facilities. Kochi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, also used sometime for international cricket matches, is an imposing arena with gigantic floodlights and has second most capacity at 62,000. New Delhi's Nehru Stadium, which hosted the 2010 CWG and the 1982 Asian Games' track and field events, is the biggest footballing venue in the national capital with a capacity of 60,000 and plays hosts to the Delhi Dynamos. Mumbai City's home venue the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai is the only other ISL venue with more than 50,000 capacity at 55,000. The stadium also holds IPL matches during the season.
9. Pumping more money into the game
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Where goalkeeper Subrata Pal was the league's most expensive Indian player in 2014 to be sold at the auction for Rs 80 lakh last year, this year the Rs 1 crore barrier was broken by Eugeneson Lyngdoh, who was picked up by FC Pune City for Rs 1.05 crore.
Indian captain Sunil Chhetri became the most expensive player at the 2015 player auctions, being sold to the Mumbai City FC for Rs 1.20 crore.
Where Chhetri earned Rs 40 lakh more than his base price, Lyngdoh was snapped up for a whopping Rs 73 lakh more than his base price of 27.5 lakh. Atletico de Kolkata's Rino Anto too made heads turn by fetching a Rs 90 lakh contract after a base price of Rs 17.5 lakh.
Indian captain Sunil Chhetri became the most expensive player at the 2015 player auctions, being sold to the Mumbai City FC for Rs 1.20 crore.
Where Chhetri earned Rs 40 lakh more than his base price, Lyngdoh was snapped up for a whopping Rs 73 lakh more than his base price of 27.5 lakh. Atletico de Kolkata's Rino Anto too made heads turn by fetching a Rs 90 lakh contract after a base price of Rs 17.5 lakh.
10. Despite incurring losses, ISL is here to stay
BCCL
According to reports, the sponsorship revenue of the ISL are projected to almost double this year to Rs 1 billion. This despite the fact that most teams incurred losses in the inaugural season. Each franchise lost an estimated Rs 35 to 40 crore last year. It is also reported that the ISL's business plan in 2014 projected that 2017 would be the turnaround year for the teams.
Indian motorcycle giant Hero has the title sponsorship of ISL with a three-year deal with a fee of Rs 20 crore a year. Popular brands like Maruti, Pepsi and Amul have renewed their partnerships with the ISL this year, while companies including DHL and online retail leader Flipkart have also pooled in. The handling of ISL includes lower costs compared to cricket and that's why the league has a sound future.
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