The Indian Super League has been in existence since 2013. The league has a total of 10 teams, up from the 8 teams that took part in the league for the 2016 – 2017 season.
The season kicks off on November 17 of this year and will conclude on March 4, 2018.
In previous seasons a number of familiar faces to fans of the Premier League have taken part. Some notable examples include Robert Pires, John Arne Riise, Fredrik Ljungberg and David James - to mention just a few.
This year is no exception with a large connection to the Premier League, there are a number of strong potentially nostalgic connects again this season.
Former Premier League players include Robbie Keane, Wes Brown Dimitar Berbatov and Jussi Jääskeläinen. This is bound to create further interest in the league.
Along with the former Premier League players, there are also a number of former managers now plying their trade in the Indian Super League. These include Steve Coppell who will take charge of Jamshedpur. Former Man Utd assistant manager René Meulensteen will take charge of current league champion Kerala Blasters. Former Aston Villa manager, John Gregory takes charge of Chennaiyin and ATK will be managed by former England international Teddy Sheringham.
The teams and league format
For the first time there are 2 new teams, bringing the total number to 10 teams to compete in the league.
Each team is allowed to have a maximum of 25 players. Also, each team are allowed to have a total of eleven foreign players with a minimum of eight. Each team roster must also contain a minimum of 2 players that are local under 23 development players.
Robbie Keane has signed for ATK and is arguably the best-known player at the club.
Keane will be joining former Bolton Wanders and West Ham Utd Goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen.
Kerala Blasters have signed a number of new players for the coming season. The club is managed by René Meulensteen, the former assistant manager at Man Utd. This will be René’s first appointment in India, having managed most recently in Israel.
Some of the most interesting to supporters of the Premiership will be Wes Brown and Dimitar Berbatov. Both have signed for the club this season. This is the first time that Brown will have played outside of the English League. He will be hoping that his recent fitness Issues are behind him. Berbatov will be joining the club for the first time also. The Bulgarian has been a prolific goal scorer in most of the leagues he has played in. Only time will tell if he can continue this form in the India Super League. Berbatov will be joined by Ian Hume, Hume is currently the highest goal scorer in the Indian Super League. Kerala Blasters will be hoping that the pair can forge a fruitful partnership between them.
Another familiar face to premier league fans is André Bikey. Bikey will be lining out for Jamshedpur FC, having previously played for Reading, Burnley, Middlesbrough, and most recently for Port Vale in the UK.
ATK are the current league champions. Only time will tell which team will triumph come the final in Match. As always there are bound to be twists and turns in what promises to be an exciting and competitive league which kicks off in a few days.
