11 teams are playing in the ISL 2022-23 full season. The Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 season began on October 7, 2022 and it will be played until the final is held in March 2023.
The Indian Super League is the topmost football league in the country of India. Held for the first time in October 2014 with six different franchises representing the various cities and regions of the country, the league has since expanded.
It was originally held along the lines of the Indian Premier League and stretched over three months with matches held daily. The first few seasons of the ISL were also held without any official recognition from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
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However, since the 2017-18 season, it has been played for over six months and the league had also expanded to include 10 teams at that point. This led to it being formally recognised by the AFC.
But how many teams in ISL are present in the ongoing 2022/23 season? Let’s discuss:
How many teams in ISL are playing the 2022-23 season?
| Club | City | Position in 2021–22 | First season | Seasons in ISL | Premierships | Championships | Recent premiership | Recent championship |
| ATK Mohun Bagan | Kolkata, West Bengal | 3rd | 2020–2021 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Bengaluru | Bangalore, Karnataka | 6th | 2017–2018 | 6 | 0 | 1 | – | 2018–2019 |
| Chennaiyin | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | 8th | 2014 | 9 | 0 | 2 | – | 2017–2018 |
| East Bengal | Kolkata, West Bengal | 11th | 2020–2021 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Goa | Margao, Goa | 9th | 2014 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2019–2020 | – |
| Hyderabad | Hyderabad, Telangana | 2nd | 2019–2020 | 4 | 0 | 1 | – | 2021–2022 |
| Jamshedpur | Jamshedpur, Jharkhand | 1st | 2017–2018 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2021–2022 | – |
| Kerala Blasters | Kochi, Kerala | 4th | 2014 | 9 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Mumbai City | Mumbai, Maharashtra | 5th | 2014 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2020–2021 | 2020–2021 |
| NorthEast United | Guwahati, Assam | 10th | 2014 | 9 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Odisha | Bhubaneswar, Odisha | 7th | 2014 | 9 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
11 teams will be seen in action for the ISL 2022-23 season. They are: ATK Mohun Bagan, Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC, East Bengal, FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, Jamshedpur FC, Kerala Blasters FC, Mumbai City FC, NorthEast United FC, and Odisha FC.
Originally, the Indian Super League began with six teams, that were founded as franchise sides for the league in 2014. The 2017-18 Indian Super League season is when the ISL first witnessed a major expansion as the number of teams increased from six to eight.
Founded in July 2013, and on the back of a very successful period in the I League where they won two titles, Bengaluru FC joined the ISL That season. The culture of professionalism at Bengaluru as well as the level of players they possessed made them a perfect fit for the league.
Jamshedpur FC also joined the league that season. The ISL organisers had actually invited bids for new teams in the expanded tournament and Tata Steel won the bid for the Jamshedpur franchise. They appointed former Kerala Blasters manager Steve Coppell as the coach and decided to use the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur as their home ground for the ISL.
More changes were witnessed by the time the 2018-19 league season came to an end. Pune City became the first ISL team to close down operations. Their place in the league was taken up by newly-formed Hyderabad FC in the following season.
The club was founded in August, 2019 in Hyderabad, Telangana to replace Pune City. South Indian actor Rana Daggubati also got involved as a co-owner of the team and the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in the Hyderabad suburb of Gachibowli served as its home ground. Hyderabad began the 2019-20 season with the majority of players that had represented Pune City in the previous edition of the league.
In that same season, Delhi Dynamos also shifted their base of operations to Bhubaneswar and rebranded the team to Odisha FC.
Further changes in the ISL playing structure arrived in 2020, following the intense public demands to see the two Kolkata giants – Mohun Bagan and East Bengal – in action in the topmost league of the country, the Indian Super League.
Mohun Bagan were struggling financially at that point and as a result, their football division ended up merging with the existing ATK franchise from Kolkata to form a new entity called ATK Mohun Bagan.
In September 2020, East Bengal also joined hands with new investors Shree Cement and it was announced that the Red and Gold Brigade would also take part in the then-upcoming 2020/21 Indian Super League season. The addition of the two legacy clubs of India expanded the league to 11 players where it currently sits.
How many teams in ISL played the first season?
| Team | City/State | Stadium |
| Atlético de Kolkata | Kolkata, West Bengal | Salt Lake Stadium |
| Chennaiyin FC | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | Marina Arena |
| Delhi Dynamos | Delhi | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium |
| Goa | Margao, Goa | Fatorda Stadium |
| Kerala Blasters | Kochi, Kerala | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium |
| Mumbai City | Mumbai, Maharashtra | DY Patil Stadium |
| NorthEast United | Guwahati, Assam | Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium |
| Pune City | Pune, Maharashtra | Balewadi Stadium |
The Indian Super League originally began with eight teams with franchises representing the various cities and regions of India. The eight original clubs in the league included: Atletico de Kolkata (later renamed to ATK FC), Chennaiyin FC, Delhi Dynamos (later rebranded as Odisha FC), FC Goa, Kerala Blasters, Mumbai City FC, NorthEast United, and Pune City FC.
Of the original eight teams, six continue to participate in the Indian Super League in their initial capacity. Pune City FC became the first team in the history of the Indian Super League to shut down operations and they announced their decision to exit at the end of the ISL 2018-19 season.
Also Read: Indian Super League ranking in the world
In that same season, Delhi Dynamos decided to move its base of operations from Delhi to Bhubaneswar in Odisha. They changed their name and brand to Odisha FC to reflect a new era in their chapter and Odisha also decided to use the Kalinga Stadium as their home ground as opposed to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi before.
In the presence of the then Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik, as well as Tusharkanti Behera, the Minister for the Department of Sports and Youth Services of Odisha, the Delhi Soccer Private Limited, which owned Delhi Dynamos, went on to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Odisha, that facilitated their move, from the national capital New Delhi to Odisha’s state capital Bhubaneswar.
According to the guidelines and regulations set by the MoU, it was mutually decided between the team and the Odisha government that the club’s first team, youth teams, youth football development program, and grassroots football development program will be based in the eastern coastal state.
How many teams in ISL have won the Championship?
| Club | Total Titles | Premiers | Season(s) won | Champions | Year(s) won |
| ATK | 3 | – | – | 3 | 2014, 2016, 2020 |
| Chennaiyin | 2 | – | – | 2 | 2015, 2018 |
| Mumbai City | 2 | 1 | 2020-21 | 1 | 2021 |
| Bengaluru | 1 | – | – | 1 | 2019 |
| Hyderabad | 1 | – | – | 1 | 2022 |
| Goa | 1 | 1 | 2019-20 | – | – |
| Jamshedpur | 1 | 1 | 2021-22 | – | – |
Of all 11 teams that are currently playing in the Indian Super League, only five teams have been able to win the prestigious ISL championship. The erstwhile ATK is the most successful team in that regard having been crowned champions thrice in 2014, 2016, and in the final year of their independent existence in 2020.
Chennaiyin FC are the only other team besides ATK to win the title on more than one occasion. They have two titles to their name, won in 2015 and 2018. Following their successful partnership with the famous City Football Group that also owns Manchester City, Mumbai City have been a dominant force in the ISL. This was reflected in their 2021 ISL championship victory.
Bengaluru FC became the first newly added team to win the ISL and they won their first ISL title in 2019 after a fantastic season. Hyderabad FC are the current defending champions of the league, having lifted the trophy in 2022.
The Indian Super League premiership was added to the league in 2019 where the team that finishes at the top of the table after the group stage are crowned as the Shield winners. Three teams have won the ISL premiership once each.
FC Goa were the first Shield winners in 2019-20. They were followed by Mumbai City in 2020-21 and the Islanders also went on to win the ISL championship that same season. Meanwhile, Jamshedpur won the premiership last season but failed to capture the championship and lost to Hyderabad FC.
FAQs
Who won the ISL last season?
Hyderabad FC won their very first ISL title last season and they are the defending champions this season.
How many teams in ISL have been crowned as champions?
Five teams have won the ISL title before this season.
Which is the most successful ISL franchise?
The erstwhile ATK franchise, before its merger with ATK Mohun Bagan, is the most successful ISL franchise. They had won three ISL titles.
When was the first ISL season held and who won it?
The first season of the ISL was held between October and December 2014. ATK (then known as Atletico de Kolkata) won the title in the inaugural season.
