The Indian Super League brought Indian football to a new era when it was first launched in 2014. A successor to the troubled I-LEague, which now acts as the second tier of Indian football, the ISL brought a lot of eyes and a whole lot of foreign players to Indian domestic football, especially in the first season.
With the likes of Diego Forlan, Robert Pires, Alessandro Del Piero, and Roberto Carlos (who was also named the Delhi Dynamos manager for a season) having played in the first season, the league was the boom that football in India desperately required for years.
In the decade since ISL started, Indian football has seen a lot of growth. More people follow the sport and the national team than ever, a decent set of domestic teams brings a lot of young players forward, and the Indian national team has improved a lot in terms of FIFA ranking in the past decade.
We will now look at all ISL league winners since 2014, who they defeated in the final, and how their tournament went that season. At the end, we will also look at which team has won the most ISL trophies and the managers with most ISL trophies.
2014 – Athletico de Kolkata
To launch the Indian Super League in the best way possible, several celebrities invested in and became part owners of the teams. For Athletico de Kolkata, it was none other than the former Indian cricket team captain and ‘Prince of Kolkata’ Saurav Ganguly, in partnership with Spanish giants Athletico Madrid.
Eight teams played in the 2014 season, and Athletico de Kolkata finished third to make their way into the semi-final, where they defeated Goa FC 4-2 on penalties after two goalless legs. ARK then won the final against the Kerala Blasters 1-0 in the final after scoring in the fifth and final minute of stoppage time to take the trophy home and become the inaugural winners of the ISL.
2015 – Chennaiyin FC
Chennaiyin FC, after topping the league stage the previous year, made it to the semi-final once again after finishing third on the league table. Following that, they took on defending champions Athletico de Kolkata in the semis and won 4-2 on aggregate.
In the final, Goa led the game against Chennaiyin 2-1 going into the 90th minute. Chennai scored via an own goal in the 90th minute and brought the scores level and then, in the first minute of stoppage time, they scored again to snatch the match and the title from right under Goa FC’s nose, becoming ISL league winners.
Check Out: Which Team Has Won The Most ISL Titles
2016 – Athletico de Kolkata
It was Mumbai City FC that topped the league this year, but it was Athletico de Kolkata that created history by becoming the only team to have made it to the playoffs in each season of the Indian Super League so far. In the semi-finals, ATK edged past league leaders Mumbai 3-2.
In the repeat of the 2014 final, ATK took on Kerela Blasters in the ultimate match of the tournament. After a 1-1 scoreline, the match went into penalties, and Athletico de Kolkata emerged triumphant once again, becoming the first team to win the league twice.
2017-18 – Chennaiyin FC
A lot of changes were made to the league this season. First, the pool was extended to 10 teams as Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC were added to ISL. The league was also shifted to being played across two calendar years, much like most leagues around the world.
Chennaiyin DC thumped Goa FC 4-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals to take on Bengaluru, the new team that topped the league and featured Indian captain Sunil Chettri playing in the ISL for the first time, in the final. In the final, Bengaluru scored first but soon fell behind by two goals, they did score another in the stoppage time but it was not enough, as Chennaiyin FC won their second title with a 3-2 win.
2018-19 – Bengaluru FC
Bengaluru FC became the most dominant team in the ISL after first being introduced in the 2017-18 season. This season, they topped the league once again with a staggering 10 wins. And made it to the semis, where they defeated NorthEast United 4-1 on aggregate.
In the final, they took on Goa FC, winning the game 1-0 after scoring a goal in the 117th minute.
2019-20 – Athletico de Kolkata
Right on the precipice of COVID lockdowns, this tournament was the last major sporting event in India before the pandemic kicked off in full swing. It was Goa FC that topped the league this season and we also saw ATK’s return to the top four.
Kolkata then defeated defending champions Bengaluru FC 3-2 in the semis to take on Chennaiyin FC in the final. The winner of this game would become the first three-time champs of the Indian Super League, and it was Athletico de Kolkata that prevailed in this game, winning it 3-1 and creating history.
2020-21 – Mumbai City FC
This season saw a lot of changes, not only in the ISL but in Indian football at large. First, I-LEague was decided to be the second-tier of Indian football behind the Indian Super League. Second, iconic Kolkata club Moun Bagan merged with defending champions Athletico de Kolkata to form ATK Mohun Bagan in the IPL. And finally, Hyderabad FC was added to the league, making it an 11-team tournament this season.
As for the league itself, Mumbai City FC took Goa FC in the semi-final which went to penalties after a 2-2 aggregate, a shoutout that Mumbai won 6-5. In the final, Mumbai took on newly minted ATK Mohun Bagan, defeating the Kolkata team 2-1 after a 90th-minute goal to lift their second title.
2021-22 – Hyderabad FC
This season, Jamshedpur topped the league with 13 wins. Hyderabad finished second and took on Mohun Bagan in the semi-final, winning 3-2 on aggregate.
Hyderabad took on Chennaiyin FC in the final, a team playing their third final but one which never won the league. And that wait would continue on Hyderabad FC won 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 match to lift their first trophy in only their second season.
Check Out: Which Team Has Won The Most ISL Titles
2022-23 – ATK Mohun Bagan
Mumbai City FC topped the league this season with a record 14 wins, with defending champions Hyderabad, ATK Mohun Bagan, and Bengaluru FC rounding out the top four. Both semi-finals went to penalties, while Bengaluru won 9-8 after a 2-2 aggregate, Mohun Bagan won theirs against defending champions Hyderabad 4-3 after a 0-0 aggregate.
The final went to penalties as well. After a 2-2 draw, both teams went to the shootout, with ATK Mohun Bagan winning 4-3, with this being the franchise’s fourth title and first under this name.
2023-24 – Mumbai City FC
Ahead of this season, ATK Mohun Bagan changed their name to Mohun Bagan Super Giant, which is in line with the owner of Goenka Group’s IPL team, Lucknow Super Giants. The newly minted Mohun Bagan Super Giant topped the 12-team league which included last season’s I-League winner Punjab FC.
As for Mumbai City FC, they thumped Goa FC 5-2 in the semi-finals before facing Mohun Bagan in the final. In this final match, Mumbai won 3-1, lifting their second Indian Super League title.
Which Team Has Won The Most ISL Titles
Now let’s look at some of the records that have been set in the 10 seasons of the Indian Super League so far. As we have seen, it is the Athletico de Kolkata/ ATK Mohun Bagan/ Mohun Bagan Super Giant that has won a record four titles. The team with the most wins in the league, however, is Kerela Blasters FC with 92 wins in 10 seasons.
There has been only one manager who has won the Indian Super League twice, that being Antonio Lopez, who won with Athletico de Kolkata in the inaugural 2014 season, as well as in the 2019-20 season.
The two players with the most appearances in the ISL are defender Pritam Kotal, who currently plays for Kerela Blasters, and goalkeeper Amrinder Singh, who currently plays for Odisha FC. These two have played a whopping 162 matches in the league.
As for the highest goal-scorer, it is Nigerian striker Bartholomew Ogbeche, who has scored 61 goals in 89 games. The Indian with the most goals is none other than Sunil Chattri, who has scored 53 goals in 141 appearances.
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