{"id":1311,"date":"2024-10-24T09:41:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T04:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hueanddye.in\/spf\/?p=1311"},"modified":"2024-12-06T09:49:26","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T04:19:26","slug":"i-league-preview-contenders-dark-horses-and-relegation-candidates-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hueanddye.in\/spf\/india\/i-league\/i-league-preview-contenders-dark-horses-and-relegation-candidates-2\/","title":{"rendered":"I-League preview: Contenders, dark horses and relegation candidates"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The second-tier of Indian football, i.e. I-League, is likely to commence in November 2024. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has not declared dates for the upcoming season, but one can guarantee looking forward to a fierce fight in the competition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last time around, Mohemeddan SC secured a promotion to the Indian Super League (ISL) after emerging victors in the I-League. Whilst the move up to the ISL continues to be the most coveted prize that the I-League has to offer, there are some key facets to look forward to, with the introduction of India U-20 national team and the entry of Sporting Bengaluru and Dempo SC in the competition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Contenders&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sreenidi Deccan have finished second in the standings twice in the row, losing an ISL spot to Punjab FC and Mohammedan SC in the last two seasons respectively. Last campaign, they secured 48 points, whereas Gokulam Kerala FC and Inter Kashi FC followed with 42 and 41 points respectively.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud835\udc01\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc2c\ud835\udc2c \ud83e\udee1<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HarHarKashi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HarHarKashi<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Kashi?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Kashi<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UttarPradesh?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#UttarPradesh<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Indianfootball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Indianfootball<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AntonioLopezHabas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#AntonioLopezHabas<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HabasCoach?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HabasCoach<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/HabasEra?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#HabasEra<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/d5djfJSd3K\">pic.twitter.com\/d5djfJSd3K<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Inter Kashi (@InterKashi) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/InterKashi\/status\/1828034472031420483?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 26, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Real Kashmir FC were close fifths with 41 to their name, and expect Sreenidi to mount another challenge in the forthcoming edition. However, with the likes of Gokulam Kerala FC and Inter Kashi FC strengthening their ranks in the summer, the battle for the top spot is going to be closer than ever.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Dark Horses&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mohammedan SC jumped from an eighth spot in 2022-23 to finish atop the standings the following year, and similar heroics from other sides cannot be ruled out in the coming campaign.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The likes of Delhi FC, Churchill Brothers, and Shillong Lajong FC showed that they have a stomach for a fight by all getting 30+ points last season. With smart acquisitions and greater consistency, they can give the favourite contenders a run for their money.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Delhi FC and Churchill have respectively won four and three of their previous five encounters respectively in the I-League, entering the new season with positive momentum and confidence under their belt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Relegation Candidates&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sporting Bengaluru and Dempo SC could arguably find it difficult to come in terms with the demands of the I-League in their first year back into the competition. Last time around, it was TRAU FC and NEROCA FC, who bore the brunt of relegation. Preceding them was Rajasthan FC in the table, who garnered 25 points from 24 games.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C55LmTDMQ9i\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\"><div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C55LmTDMQ9i\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <div style=\" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;\"> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 19% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;\"><svg width=\"50px\" height=\"50px\" viewBox=\"0 0 60 60\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\"><g stroke=\"none\" stroke-width=\"1\" fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g transform=\"translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)\" fill=\"#000000\"><g><path d=\"M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631\"><\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div><div style=\"padding-top: 8px;\"> <div style=\" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div><div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\"><div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div> <div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div><\/div><div style=\"margin-left: auto;\"> <div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div> <div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div><\/div><\/div> <div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\"> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div> <div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div><\/div><\/a><p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C55LmTDMQ9i\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Sporting Club Bengaluru (@sportingclubbengaluru)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Aizawl FC had gotten 25 points from 22 encounters, whereas the Punjab-based Namdhari FC secured 27 from 24. These sides will have to pull up their socks a great deal to avoid succumbing into the trap of the relegation zone.&nbsp; At the same time, one can\u2019t rule out the possibility of any of them producing a surprising run and moving up the ladder to actually challenge for the top spots, given the astounding nature of the league.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another aspect to watch out for in the coming edition will be the presence of the India U-20 national team. They have been included in the competition to provide ample playing time ahead of the big tournaments such as the AFC Asian Cup and the Asian Games in 2026.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though the side has amnesty from promotion-relegation, it can also be argued that they will have all to play for with nothing to lose, unlike other teams for whom it could be a high-stakes encounter. Will the freedom that the Indian U-20 side could play with give them an edge over other teams in the league? And what sort of impact could it have on the overall dynamics of the league? Let\u2019s explore that in detail in another article.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The second-tier of Indian football, i.e. I-League, is likely to commence in November 2024. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has not declared dates for the upcoming season, but one can guarantee looking forward to a fierce fight in the competition.&nbsp; Last time around, Mohemeddan SC secured a promotion to the Indian Super League (ISL) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-i-league"],"acf":{"post_type":"Feature"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hueanddye.in\/spf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hueanddye.in\/spf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hueanddye.in\/spf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hueanddye.in\/spf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hueanddye.in\/spf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1311"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hueanddye.in\/spf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1312,"href":"https:\/\/hueanddye.in\/spf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1311\/revisions\/1312"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hueanddye.in\/spf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hueanddye.in\/spf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hueanddye.in\/spf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hueanddye.in\/spf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}