ISL Winners list: Champions from each season of the league
The Indian Super League (ISL) returns in less than a month, and the fixture list has already drawn excitement and attention to India's premier football league.
ATK Mohun Bagan will kick off the season with a clash against the Kerala Blasters on November 19. Defending champions Mumbai City FC will begin their campaign on November 22 against FC Goa, while two-time winners Chennaiyin FC will face off against Hyderabad FC a day later.
Going by last season, the #HeroISL 2021-22 season could have a lot more in store with all 11 sides vying for the honours. Which teams do you think will make it to the top 4⃣? https://t.co/wyPovlH0JO
Over seven incredible seasons of the ISL, there have been four different winners. ATK (now ATK Mohun Bagan) have picked up three titles, while Chennaiyin FC have won the ISL twice. Mumbai City and Bengaluru FC have won one title apiece.
It will be interesting to see if we have a new winner this season, with most of the teams adding new faces and quality to their squads. On that note, here's a look at all the ISL winners over the years before the new season kicks off:
#1 ISL 2014 | Champions: ATK
ATK assembled a well-rounded squad ahead of the 2014 ISL season. The Kolkata-based club roped in some big-name foreign recruits, including ex-Liverpool forward Luis Garcia and Borja Fernandez.
The Indian core of the side was excellent as well with the likes of Subhashish Roy in goal, Baljit Sahni, Cavin Lobo and Sanju Pradhan. ATK began the regular season with a 3-0 victory over Mumbai City, and were unbeaten in their first six games, collecting three wins and as many draws.
However, they added just one more win in their next eight matches, drawing four times and losing thrice. ATK ended the league phase in third place on 19 points, setting up a semi-final clash with FC Goa.
The two-legged tie with the Gaurs ended goalless after 180 minutes, with ATK entering the first-ever ISL final thanks to a 4-2 win on penalties. The Kolkata-based franchise met the Kerala Blasters in the summit clash. A fairly dull game was decided by a 95th winner from Mohammad Rafique, making ATK the winners of the inaugural ISL season.
Fikru Teferra top-scored for ATK with three goals, while Lobo and Sahni finished with two goals apiece.
#2 ISL 2015 | Champions: Chennaiyin FC
Chennaiyin FC followed ATK to become the next ISL winner in 2015. The Marina Machans had built an excellent squad entering the season, with the likes of Elano Blumer, Stiven Mendoza, Mailson Alves and Bernard Mendy in their ranks.
The Indian members of the squad included the likes of Jeje Lalpekhlua, Karanjit Singh and Thoi Singh. Chennaiyin seemed to have all their bases covered, but endured a rocky start to their second ISL campaign.
The franchise collected just three wins from their opening eight matches in the league stage. However, they went on an excellent run to win their final four games, finishing third in the league table with 22 points from 14 matches.
In the semi-finals, Chennaiyin beat holders ATK 4-2 on aggregate in a thrilling contest. The final saw even more drama as the Chennai-based outfit faced FC Goa. Chennaiyin went in front, thanks to Bruno Pelissari, but found themselves behind in the 87th minute after Jofre Mateu scored for the Gaurs.
From there, the Marina Machans staged an extraordinary comeback. They forced an own goal from Goa goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani in the 90th minute before Mendoza pounced to score the winner a minute later.
Stiven Mendoza ➡️ Singara Chennai 😍
#OTD in 2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣4️⃣, the Colombian striker joined us 💫
#AllInForChennaiyin | @Stiven20Mendoza https://t.co/OX95EzpqxO
Mendoza would also end the campaign as the top scorer of the 2015 ISL season, striking 13 times, including two hat-tricks. He was well supported by Lalpekhlua, who netted six times during the season.
#3 ISL 2016 | Champions: ATK
ATK won their second ISL title in the 2016 season. The side retained star forward Iain Hume, who was a game-changer in the 2015 campaign.
ATK enjoyed a reasonably successful run in the league stage, picking up 20 points to finish fourth. They met table-toppers Mumbai City in the semi-finals, where they were the underdogs going into the game.
However, the Kolkata-based franchise stepped up to secure a 3-2 win on aggregate, and progress to the final. In the summit clash, they took on the Kerala Blasters in a repeat of the 2014 title match. Mohammed Rafi opened the scoring for Kerala, before Henrique Sereno levelled the contest for Kolkata.
The match then went to penalties, where ATK held their nerve to secure a 4-3 victory, and clinch their second ISL trophy. Hume top-scored for the side with seven goals.