IWL 2023-24: Former winners Gokulam Kerala face early setback as Kickstart, Odisha FC surge ahead

Kickstart’s Karishma Shirvoikar has scored six goals for his side.

The biggest talking point from the opening three rounds of the Indian Women’s League (IWL) 2023-24 is that Gokulam Kerala FC are yet to find the form that powered them to the last three successive titles. Emerging as the new frontrunners are Kickstart FC and Odisha FC with a hundred percent record so far.

The Kalinga Warriors’ monumental 2-0 victory over the Malabarians last week was perhaps the most eye-catching result in the recent seasons of the IWL. Losing for the first time in 29 matches over four years, the defeat must feel like a big blow to Gokulam Kerala’s title aspirations, despite coming so early in the season.

For Odisha, the win was about more than just three points. There was a sense of redemption after that heart-breaking shoot-out loss to the Malabarians in last season’s quarter-finals. Goalkeeper Shreya Hooda stood out in Bhubaneswar, as each of her saves added up to a well-deserved clean sheet. Pyari Xaxa and Lynda Kom Serto did their job up front with two crucial goals. Everything eased up some pain from May’s defeat in Ahmedabad. But head coach Crispin Chettri and co. will know there’s a long way to go if they are to grab their first IWL crown.

On the other hand, there are a lot of questions that Gokulam gaffer Anthony Andrews needs to answer. The brief winter break may have come at a good time for his side. A team that pumped in 64 goals last season, has scored only one in three games in this campaign. They will have to make that right as they take on Sports Odisha and Kickstart in their next two games on home turf.

Expectedly, the home-and-away system has spiced things up a notch. Kickstart are enjoying their solid run at the Bangalore Football Stadium. Odisha FC’s first-ever home game at the Kalinga Stadium was a memorable one, to say the least. East Bengal may have lost 2-4 to Sethu, but the atmosphere created by their ardent fans at the East Bengal Ground scripted a new chapter in Indian women’s football. Never before had the IWL been witness to such animated support.

On the pitch, the one who’s stealing the limelight is Kickstart’s Karishma Shirvoikar. The youngster has been simply unstoppable, netting six out of her side’s eight goals so far, giving herself an early shout of becoming the first Indian to win the IWL Golden Boot since Ngangom Bala Devi in 2018-19.

Unlike Kickstart, Odisha FC haven’t been dependent on one player so far. Their six goals have been scored by five different players, with only Myanmar’s Win Theingi Tun netting more than once. India’s youth internationals Nongmeikapam Sibani Devi and Sulanjana Raul have been turning on the heat for East Bengal, scoring two goals each.

The only team missing in the ‘goals conversation’ is HOPS FC. The capital side are yet to find the net in their first two games at the Ambedkar Stadium, losing to Kickstart and Gokulam Kerala. Sports Odisha are the other side yet to register a point, but things won’t get any easier for them as they travel to Kozhikode in their first game of the New Year.

It’s been an interesting start to the brand-new campaign and we’re only nine matches in. Let’s sit tight and wait for what unfolds in this historic home-and-away IWL season in the New Year.

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