The Indian Super League (ISL) on Thursday, September 1, announced the full list of their league stage fixtures for the 2022-23 season.
An enticing clash between last season's runners-up Kerala Blasters and East Bengal at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will kick off the season on October 7, 2022.
Unlike previous seasons, where matches were spread across the week, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) has decided to schedule the matches mostly over the weekends this time around.
Each matchweek will take place between Thursday and Sunday, following the patterns implemented by the top global leagues. With fans back into the stadiums after almost a two-year hiatus, scheduling has been done to make it convenient for them to visit the venues.
Meanwhile, defending champions Hyderabad FC will open their campaign with a high-intensity clash against heavyweights Mumbai City FC. With the acquisition of Greg Stewart and Jorge Pereyra Diaz, the Islanders look to be in prime shape ahead of the season.
ISL League Shield winners Jamshedpur FC, on the other hand, will play their opening fixture of the season against Odisha FC on October 11. Quite like La Liga, where all eyes are immediately shifted towards the scheduling of El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona, the Kolkata derby holds a special place in the Indian footballing calendar.
ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal will lock horns in the much-anticipated ISL clash for the first-half of the season on October 29 at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan. Earlier in the season, the two Kolkata giants locked horns in the Durand Cup, where the Mariners emerged victorious by a 1-0 margin.
The league phase of the tournament will run from October to February and the knockout phases will start in March. Unlike previous years, the knockout spots have been extended from four to six to give the mid-table clubs something to fight for till the end of the season.
The full groupstage fixture list for ISL 2022-23 season
Here is the entire fixture list for the upcoming season of the Indian Super League, along with the match timings and venues.
The regular league stage matches will run until February 26, 2023, where all 11 teams will face off against each other on two separate occasions.