The 2017–18 Indian Super League season was the fourth season of the Indian Super League, one of the top Indian professional football leagues. It was established in 2013. The regular season started on 17 November 2017 and ended on 4 March 2018, The Playoffs began on 7 March 2018, concluding with the final on 17 March 2018. ATK were the defending champions from the 2016 season, however they could not advance to the playoffs. Chennaiyin won their second Indian Super League title by defeating Bengaluru 3–2 in the final.
Two new sides joined the league as expansion teams: Bengaluru and Jamshedpur. The two new clubs are the ninth and tenth teams in the league. This made it the first edition of the ISL in which there are more than eight teams participating.This is also the first ISL which was officially recognised by AFC as joint top division league along with I-League. As well as expanding two teams, the league also expanded two more months, being played in five months instead of three. Away goal rule is introduced in semifinals stage in this season.
Teams
Stadiums and locations Team City/State Stadium Capacity ATK Kolkata, West Bengal Salt Lake Stadium Bengaluru Bengaluru, Karnataka Sree Kanteerava Stadium Chennaiyin Chennai, Tamil Nadu Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Delhi Dynamos Delhi Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Goa Margao, Goa Fatorda Stadium Jamshedpur Jamshedpur, Jharkhand JRD Tata Sports Complex Kerala Blasters Kochi, Kerala Kaloor Stadium Mumbai City Mumbai, Maharashtra Mumbai Football Arena NorthEast United Guwahati, Assam Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium Pune City Pune, Maharashtra Balewadi Stadium
Expansion On 11 May 2017, it was announced by the Indian Super League organizers that they would be inviting bids for new teams to join the league for the upcoming season. The bids would be for ten cities, namely Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Cuttack, Durgapur, Hyderabad, Jamshedpur, Kolkata, Ranchi, Siliguri and Thiruvananthapuram. It was also clarified that if Kolkata were to win at least one bid for a team, the new "Kolkata" side would have to play away from the city for two seasons.
On 25 May 2017, it was announced that bidding for new teams had ended and that the league's appointed external validator would look over the bids. It was also announced that Bengaluru, the two-time champion of the I-League, India's top-tier professional football league, had submitted a bid. Two weeks later, on 12 June, it was officially announced that Bengaluru (for Bangalore) and Tata Group (for Jamshedpur) had won the bids for the new teams.
Personnel and sponsorship Team Head coach Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor ATK Robbie Keane (Player Manager) Nivia CESC Limited Bengaluru Albert Roca Puma JSW Chennaiyin John Gregory Performax Apollo Tyres Delhi Dynamos Miguel Ángel Portugal T10 Sports Kent RO Systems Goa Sergio Lobera None Deltin Jamshedpur Steve Coppell Nivia Tata Kerala Blasters David James Admiral Muthoot Pappachan Mumbai City Alexandre Guimarães T10 Sports Ace Group NorthEast United Avram Grant Performax McDowell's No. 1 Pune City Ranko Popović Adidas Suzuki Gixxer
Managerial changes TeamOutgoing managerManner of departureDate of vacancyPosition in tableIncoming managerDate of appointment Goa Contract finished 18 December 2016 Pre-season 6 June 2017 Delhi Dynamos Mutual consent 14 June 2017 29 June 2017 Chennaiyin Mutual consent 6 March 2017 3 July 2017 JamshedpurExpansion club 14 July 2017 Kerala Blasters Mutual consent 12 July 2017 14 July 2017 ATK 18 December 2016 14 July 2017 NorthEast United 15 May 2017 17 July 2017 Pune City 15 September 2017 25 September 2017 Kerala Blasters Sacked 3 January 2018 8th David James 3 January 2018 NorthEast United João de Deus 3 January 2018 9th Avram Grant 12 January 2018 ATK 24 January 2018 8th (Interim) 24 January 2018 ATK Resignation 2 March 2018 9th (Player Manager) 3 March 2018
Roster changes
Overseas players Unlike during the first three seasons of the Indian Super League, the 2017–18 season saw the maximum number of foreign players per team reduced to eight from 11. Also unlike the previous three seasons, the maximum number of foreigners allowed on the pitch at the same time was reduced to five from six.
ATK (8) Bengaluru (8) Chennaiyin (8) Delhi Dynamos (8) Goa (8) Robbie Keane Zequinha Conor Thomas Jordi Figueras Tom Thorpe Ryan Taylor Martin Paterson Sibongakonke Mbatha John Johnson Juanan Erik Paartalu Dimas Toni Dovale Miku Daniel Segovia Víctor Pérez Iñigo Calderón Raphael Augusto Rene Mihelič Jaime Gavilán Jude Nworuh Gregory Nelson Henrique Sereno Maílson Alves Paulinho Dias Matías Mirabaje Gabriel Cichero Kalu Uche Manuel Arana Edu Moya Jeroen Lumu Xabi Irureta Bruno Pinheiro Hugo Boumous Coro Ahmed Jahouh Chechi Manuel Lanzarote Edu Bedia Mark Sifneos Jamshedpur (8) Kerala Blasters (8) Mumbai City (8) NorthEast United (8) Pune City (8) Tiri Sameehg Doutie Memo Kervens Belfort Andre Bikey Matheus Gonçalves Izu Azuka Wellington Priori Iain Hume Courage Pekuson Nemanja Lakić-Pešić Wes Brown Paul Rachubka Dimitar Berbatov Guðjón Baldvinsson Pulga Lucian Goian Gerson Vieira Éverton Santos Rafa Jordà Léo Costa Márcio Rosário Achille Emaná Thiago Santos Marcinho José Gonçalves Sambinha Martín Díaz Danilo Hélio Pinto Maic Sema John Mosquera Emiliano Alfaro Marcos Tébar Marcelinho Rafa Jonatan Lucca Diego Carlos Marko Stanković Lolo
Regular season
Results
Playoffs
Bracket
Semi-finals
Final
Season statistics
Scoring
Top scorers
RankPlayerClubGoals1 CoroGoa182 MikuBengaluru153 Sunil ChhetriBengaluru144 Kalu UcheDelhi Dynamos13 Manuel LanzaroteGoa6 Emiliano AlfaroPune City9 Jeje LalpekhluaChennaiyin8 MarcelinhoPune City89 Balwant SinghMumbai City6 Éverton SantosMumbai City Robbie KeaneATK Source:
Top Indian scorers RankPlayerClubGoals1Sunil ChhetriBengaluru142Jeje LalpekhluaChennaiyin93Balwant SinghMumbai City64Adil KhanPune City4Seiminlen DoungelNorthEast UnitedC.K. VineethKerala Blasters7Lallianzuala ChhangteDelhi Dynamos38Rohit KumarPune City2Jackichand SinghKerala BlastersMandar Rao DesaiGoaBipin SinghATKMohammed RafiChennaiyinAnirudh ThapaChennaiyinDhanpal GaneshChennaiyin Source:
Hat-tricks
Player For Against Result Date Ref Coro Goa Bengaluru 4–3 (H) Coro Goa Kerala Blasters 5–2 (H) Marcelinho Pune City NorthEast United 5–0 (H) Iain Hume Kerala Blasters Delhi Dynamos 3–1 (A) Seiminlen Doungel NorthEast United Chennaiyin 3–1 (H) Sunil Chhetri Bengaluru Pune City 3–1 (H)
Assists RankPlayerClubAssistsRef 1 Udanta Singh Bengaluru 7
Cleansheets
RankPlayerClubCleansheets1 Subrata PalJamshedpur7 Gurpreet Singh SandhuBengaluru Karanjit SinghChennaiyin Vishal KaithPune City5 Paul RachubkaKerala Blasters56 Debjit MajumderATK47 Rehenesh TPNorthEast United2 Amrinder SinghMumbai City Naveen KumarGoa Source:
Discipline
Most yellow cards (club): 47 Chennaiyin
Most red cards (club): 4 Delhi Dynamos
Most yellow cards (player): 9 Dhanpal Ganesh (Chennaiyin)
Most red cards (player): 2 Pratik Chowdhary (Delhi Dynamos)
Average home attendances
TeamKerala Blasters9285,87037,98616,79631,763Jamshedpur9192,36724,2128,17821,374Bengaluru11209,58425,75312,56419,053Goa10176,03818,60016,22117,604Chennaiyin10155,37719,01312,49915,538ATK9114,02132,8163,16512,669Pune City1087,1119,9686,6128,711NorthEast United865,73621,1511,1218,217Delhi Dynamos855,08611,4532,3326,886Mumbai City958,0398,5974,2226,449Total931,399,40937,9861,12115,047 Source:
Awards Source: Indian Super League website
Hero of the Match MatchHero of the MatchMatchHero of the MatchMatchHero of the Match Player Club Player Club Player Club Match 1 Nemanja Lakić-Pešić Kerala Blasters Match 33 Jeje Lalpekhlua Chennaiyin Match 65 Dimas Delgado Bengaluru Match 2 Marcinho NorthEast United Match 34 Éverton Santos Mumbai City Match 66 Adil Khan Pune City Match 3 Manuel Lanzarote Goa Match 35 Marcelinho Pune City Match 67 Ryan Taylor ATK Match 4 Sunil Chhetri Bengaluru Match 36 Sunil Chhetri Bengaluru Match 68 Dimas Delgado Bengaluru Match 5 Lallianzuala Chhangte Delhi Dynamos Match 37 Edu Bedia Goa Match 69 Wellington Priori Jamshedpur Match 6 Raphael Augusto Chennaiyin Match 38 Mark Sifneos Kerala Blasters Match 70 Marcos Tébar Pune City Match 7 Mehtab Hossain Jamshedpur Match 39 Izu Azuka Jamshedpur Match 71 Maílson Alves Chennaiyin Match 8 Éverton Santos Mumbai City Match 40 Marcinho Northeast United Match 72 Kalu Uche Delhi Dynamos Match 9 Marcelinho Pune City Match 41 Jeje Lalpekhlua Chennaiyin Match 73 Maílson Alves Chennaiyin Match 10 Erik Paartalu Bengaluru Match 42 Juanan Bengaluru Match 74 Miku Bengaluru Match 11 Gerson Vieira Mumbai City Match 43 Iain Hume Kerala Blasters Match 75 Wes Brown Kerala Blasters Match 12 Coro Goa Match 44 Bruno Pinheiro Goa Match 76 Wellington Priori Jamshedpur Match 13 Memo Jamshedpur Match 45 Zequinha ATK Match 77 Márcio Rosário Mumbai City Match 14 Halicharan Narzary NorthEast United Match 46 Maílson Alves Chennaiyin Match 78 Kalu Uche Delhi Dynamos Match 15 Jerry Lalrinzuala Chennaiyin Match 47 Lallianzuala Chhangte Delhi Dynamos Match 79 Éverton Santos Mumbai City Match 16 Balwant Singh Mumbai City Match 48 Iain Hume Kerala Blasters Match 80 Karanjit Singh Chennaiyin Match 17 André Bikey Jamshedpur Match 49 Memo Jamshedpur Match 81 Kalu Uche Delhi Dynamos Match 18 Jeje Lalpekhlua Chennaiyin Match 50 Sunil Chhetri Bengaluru Match 82 Coro Goa Match 19 Miku Bengaluru Match 51 Seiminlen Doungel NorthEast United Match 83 Gurpreet Singh Sandhu Bengaluru Match 20 Coro Goa Match 52 Diego Carlos Pune City Match 84 Matías Mirabaje Delhi Dynamos Match 21 Marcos Tébar Pune City Match 53 Wellington Priori Jamshedpur Match 85 Manuel Lanzarote Goa Match 22 Achille Emaná Mumbai City Match 54 Edu Bedia Goa Match 86 Miku Bengaluru Match 23 Miku Bengaluru Match 55 Emiliano Alfaro Pune City Match 87 Kalu Uche Delhi Dynamos Match 24 Wes Brown Kerala Blasters Match 56 Anirudh Thapa Chennaiyin Match 88 Jaime Gavilán Chennaiyin Match 25 Arana Goa Match 57 Juanan Bengaluru Match 89 Coro Goa Match 26 Maílson Alves Chennaiyin Match 58 Deependra Singh Negi Kerala Blasters Match 90 Robbie Keane ATK Match 27 Zequinha ATK Match 59 Thiago Santos Mumbai City Match 91 (SF) Marko Stanković Pune City Match 28 Gerson Vieira Mumbai City Match 60 Matheus Gonçalves Jamshedpur Match 92 (SF) Gregory Nelson Chennaiyin Match 29 Miku Bengaluru Match 61 Subrata Pal Jamshedpur Match 93 (SF) Sunil Chhetri Bengaluru Match 30 Karanjit Singh Chennaiyin Match 62 Marcelinho Pune City Match 94 (SF) Maílson Alves Chennaiyin Match 31 Adil Khan Pune City Match 63 Gurpreet Singh Sandhu Bengaluru Match 95 (F) Maílson Alves Chennaiyin Match 32 Robbie Keane ATK Match 64 Coro Goa
Emerging Player of the Match