Indian Super Cup 2018: 5 reasons to look forward to the latest tournament in Indian football
The inaugural edition of the Hero Super Cup is set to get underway at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, where we will see the ISL and I-League teams pitted against each other. The Super Cup will replace the Federation Cup, an annual tournament in which the ISL teams did not participate, previously.
Since ISL was given its professional status by Asian Football Confederation last June, it will be the first time teams of joint top divisions of Indian football will come face to face. The cup, which is divided into qualifiers and main competition, is already past its qualifier stage. Here are 5 reasons why you should look forward to this competition as it heads into the next round.
5. Knockout football
For the first time in the history of Indian football, we will get to see domestic cup-styled knockout competition. That means there is no room for the group stage. Instead, the competition will head straight into the Round of 16 where eight will be eliminated, while the other eight will move on to the quarterfinals.
The cup also follows a new format, which includes qualifiers as well as main competition. Both ISL and I-League will get equal participation in the league. The top six teams from both the leagues have qualified for the Round of 16, whereas the bottom four teams from both the divisions went into the qualifiers.