ISL 2022-23 schedule: Season to kick off with Kerala Blasters FC's clash against East Bengal FC on October 7
The Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 season will get underway on October 7, 2022, when Kerala Blasters FC welcome Kolkata giants East Bengal FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
Furthermore, the official fixture list, which was released on Thursday, underlined that the matches will take place on weekends. Each matchweek is scheduled between Thursday and Sunday, following the patterns implemented by the top global leagues.
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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.
The opening fixture in itself is expected to be a euphoric encounter given it's a clash between the two clubs with a humongous fanbase. For the last two seasons, the opening encounter has been between ATK Mohun Bagan and Kerala Blasters. This year, however, their local rivals EBFC have replaced the Mariners in the opening clash.
Meanwhile, reigning champions Hyderabad FC will kick-off their campaign against heavyweights Mumbai City FC on October 9.
The play-off stages of the ISL 2022-23 season are expected to start in March next year.
The new ISL play-off format
Along with a brand new season, the Indian Super League is introducing a few format changes. The primary is the revamped play-off system. Earlier, after the regular stages, the top 4 teams would go on to play in the knockouts. In the two-legged semi-finals, the first-placed team would clash against the fourth-placed side, while the second and third placed teams would lock horns.
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However, this year, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) has decided to increase the knockout spots. The top two teams at the end of the league stage will automatically qualify for the semi-finals. Teams finishing between third and sixth will feature in a single-leg playoff to determine the other two semi-finalists.
As usual, the semi-finals will follow the same two-legged format. With the extended knockout spots, it will give extra motivation to the mid-table clubs to keep fighting even till the end of the league stage in this edition's ISL.
Knockout Phase Format:
Eliminator 1: third placed team vs sixth placed team.
Eliminator 2: fourth placed team vs fifth placed team.
Semi-Final 1 1st Leg: 1st placed team vs (Winner β Eliminator 2).
Semi-Final 2 1st Leg: 2nd placed team vs (Winner β Eliminator 1).
Semi-Final 1 2nd Leg: (Winner β Eliminator 2) vs 1st placed team.
Semi-Final 2 2nd Leg: (Winner β Eliminator 1) vs 2nd placed team
Final: (Winner Semi-Final 1) vs (Winner Semi-Final 2).