Top five things to look forward to in ISL 2021-22 season

The latest edition of India's top flight league commences on November 19.

The 2021-22 Indian Super League (ISL) season kicks off in less than a week from now. As always there's a lot to be excited about the new season. Especially when you consider the transfers, pre-season friendlies and other factors prior to its commencement; one anticipates several possibilities. Subsequently, several clubs have had changes at the helm, management and coaching; therefore resulting in some major squad and philosophical revamps.

Considering all of this, here are five things you should be looking forward to in the upcoming ISL2021-22 season:

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5. Khalid Jamil as NorthEast United's head coach

As expected, NorthEast United announced Khalid Jamil as their head coach for ISL 2021-22. With this, he became the competition's first-ever permanent Indian head coach. The 44-year-old took his side to the playoffs last season, finishing with 33 points in the end. This, after taking over the reins from Gerard Nus midway was a monumental achievement for the club.

Under Jamil, the side also recorded a 10-match unbeaten run, including wins against both the eventual finalists of the season. As a manager, Jamil has always been a winner. He won the I-League title with Aizawl FC in 2017 and kept Mumbai FC afloat in the league with limited resources during his seven-year tenure there. Basically, he boasts of tremendous experience in Indian football, both as a player and manager. He also took over a NorthEast United side that were struggling to produce results and guided them to a third-place finish, their best in the ISL. So, do keep an eye on the Highlanders.

4. The four foreigners' rule

The 2021-22 ISL season will see a cap on foreign players as per the Asian Football Confederation's club competitions regulations. Overall, clubs will be able to sign six foreign players, with one compulsory signing of an Asian-quota player. Essentially, this means a maximum of four foreign players and a minimum of seven Indian players on the pitch at any given time. It also means more opportunities for young Indian players.

However, for a league that rode on the reputation of star foreign players, such a move could lead to some drastic changes, as we've already seen with clubs such as Jamshedpur FC, Hyderabad FC, FC Goa and Bengaluru FC. These teams have been vigorously working on their youth development; thereby adapting themselves to make do with fewer foreign players. But, which of them actually thrives remains to be seen. Nonetheless, the rule's impact is bound to be noteworthy.

3. Twist in weekend double-headers

This season, the ISL has introduced a 9:30 PM kick-off for its weekend double-headers. While the regular weekday fixture will be a 7:30 PM start, the double-headers on weekends have moved to 9:30 PM from 5:30 PM.

Despite motives of increasing viewership and shielding players from Goa's heat, there is debate about this decision. While some are in its favour for benefiting players and bringing the ISL onto a global stage, others opine about the consequences of colliding with European fixtures. In other words, people also feel weekend viewership would decline with European football and other premier sporting fixtures taking precedence.

2. Winners of major awards

Apart from the title itself, with revamps in terms of squad and management, there's a possibility of a much more competitive race for the league's individual awards this season. Once again, with only four foreigners allowed, more Indian youngsters will get playing time. Subsequently, considering the U-23 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, the Durand Cup and the SAFF Championships, several budding contenders have popped up for the "Emerging Player" award. Some of the names include Rahim Ali, Vikram Pratap Singh, Suresh Wangjam and Muhammed Nemil, who've displayed some brilliant performances.

Coming to the "Golden Boot", the ISL has seen many superstars showcasing their goalscoring abilities over the years. Once again, considering the revamps and prior performances of players at their previous clubs, there are many contenders this time too. While Roy Krishna (last season's winner) remains in red-hot form, he'll be in direct competition with marquee players like Airam Cabrera, Jonathas de Jesus, Igor Angulo and Bartholomew Ogbeche to name a few.

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Next up, there's the "Golden Glove", an award for which a number of custodians will by vying for. Last season, Arindam Bhattacharya and Amrinder Singh tied with 10 clean-sheets. This time, apart from the two, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Dheeraj Singh seem like potential challengers. Gurpreet is the only keeper to have won the award twice. This along with the winning experience from the SAFF Championships could be beneficial for him reclaiming the award. Dheeraj, on the other hand, was absolutely sensational at the AFC U-23 tournament and has been so for quite a while now; thereby making him one of the most promising Indian aspects in the ISL.

Therefore numerous contenders for these accolades arise. However, individual brilliance solely might not determine the winners, as there's a lot of other factors that come into play. Nonetheless, keep an eye on all of these names.

1. Potential return of fans?

No fans were allowed last season and like most elite leagues, the ISL introduced fan walls; wherein fans could feature on big screens inside the venue. This time around, there were discussions on allowing fans inside stadiums initially, but nothing concrete actually occurred. However, with a decrease in COVID-19 infections and record vaccination rates, there still is a chance of fans returning to stadiums -- at least in the second half of the ISL 2021-22 season.

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