The 2022–23 Hero Indian Super League (ISL) begins on October 7, 2022, when East Bengal FC and Kerala Blasters square off at Kochi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the league’s runners-up from the previous year.

The Hero ISL is back to thrill fans at ten locations throughout the nation with 117 matches of high-octane football excitement. The ISL league stage will continue for nearly five months without the playoffs, semifinals, or championship game for the first time history. As the league stage comes to an end on February 26th, each club will play 20 league matches—10 at home and 10 away—from the fall of this year to the spring of the following year.

As they prepare for the Hero ISL season, all Hero ISL teams are presently taking part in the Durand Cup, Asia’s oldest sporting event. A lengthier football schedule that gives players more competitive games throughout the year has been the goal of all Indian football stakeholders. The Super Cup will come after the Hero ISL in April 2023.

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We can’t wait to see you chanting your hearts out from the stands as #HeroISL 2022-23 starts on 7️⃣th October, 2022!

Read More: https://t.co/BfHMH4JadL#LetsFootball #FansAreBack pic.twitter.com/X2qqtr0M6D

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) September 1, 2022

The 2022–2023 season will also be noteworthy since it will mark the beginning of the supporters’ two-season return to the stadiums. The Hero ISL has established a fixture list with games taking place on weekends in order to make it convenient for more supporters and families to visit and see their teams in action.

With a match week schedule that runs from Thursday through Sunday, the Hero ISL is on par with the premier football leagues around the world.

A new playoff structure for the league, which adds two thrilling games to the schedule, has also been adopted by Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) starting with this season. The top two teams at the conclusion of the league stage will be given automatic qualification. Teams that place third through sixth will compete in a one-leg playoff to determine the other two semifinalists.

On October 9, Hyderabad FC will face previous champions Mumbai City FC at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Gachibowli to begin the championship defence in front of their home crowd.

Two days later, on October 11, Jamshedpur FC will play Odisha FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex. Jamshedpur FC won the 2021–22 League Shield.

On October 29 and February 25 of next year, fans may watch ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal FC compete in India’s biggest rivalry at Kolkata’s venerable Vivekananda YuvabharatiKrirangan (Salt Lake Stadium).

New ISL Playoff Format:

Eliminator 1: 3rd placed team vs 6th placed team

Eliminator 2: 4th placed team vs 5th placed team

Semifinal 1 1st Leg: 1st placed team vs (Winner – Eliminator 2)

Semifinal 2 1st Leg: 2nd placed team vs (Winner – Eliminator 1)

Semifinal 1 2nd Leg: (Winner – Eliminator 2) vs 1st placed team

Semifinal 2 2nd Leg: (Winner – Eliminator 1) vs 2nd placed team

Final: (Winner Semifinal 1) vs (Winner Semifinal 2)

Key dates for the 2022-23 Hero ISL season at a glance:

Opening Match: October 7th, 2022

Last League Stage Matchweek: February 23rd-26th, 2023

Playoffs, Semifinals and Final: March 2023

(Inputs from IANS)