Which ISL season has produced the most number of goals?

The past three campaigns in the league have seen the tally cross the 250-mark.

Indian Super League (ISL) was launched back in 2014 with an aim to bring attention to football and improve the standards of the game in the country. This was done through investment in infrastructure, player recruitment with an added dash of glitz and glamour.

Over the years, the competition has welcomed plenty of sensational talents – foreign and domestic alike, who have showcased a good attacking brand of football. Looking back at the previous editions and the current 2020-21 as well, the amount of goals scored has gradually increased per season.

However, it begs to be asked, which season of the ISL has produced the most number of goals? Find out below:

ISL 2014 - 135 goals

The inaugural edition of the competition had eight teams fighting for the trophy in a league-cum-knockout format, which has stuck till today. Out of the total 117 matches played, including the playoffs, 135 goals were scored by all the teams involved.

ISL 2015 - 186 goals

The second edition of the league saw a huge improvement in terms of the quality of gameplay. FC Goa scored 34 goals (the most by a club) in the campaign, but lost the title to Chennaiyin FC in the dying minutes of the final. 

ISL 2016 - 154 goals

The last season that included eight teams was the 2016 edition of the ISL, before the competition expanded. This term saw 154 goals in 117 games. Delhi Dynamos FC, which has now rebranded into Odisha FC, secured playoffs qualification for the second year in a row and scored 27 goals in the league phase of the competition, which was the most for any team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjplPpb58SA&t=2s

ISL 2017-18 - 261 goals

The 2017-18 campaign saw the inclusion of two new entrants – Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC, thus expanding the league into a 10-club competition. A total of 185 games were played, including the playoffs and 261 combined goals were scored. FC Goa yet again became the highest scorers with 43 goals, but got eliminated in the semi-finals at the hands of eventual winners Chennaiyin FC.

ISL 2018-19 - 254 goals

ISL 2018-19 was not able to improve upon the last season’s goal count, but it was very entertaining nonetheless. FC Goa yet again came out as the most attacking team, scoring 36 goals in the league phase and a further five in the first-leg of the semi-finals against Mumbai City FC. They lost the final to Begaluru FC in the extra-time by a solitary goal from Rahul Bheke. 

ISL 2019-20 - 290 goals

The edition which saw the entry of two new clubs, Hyderabad FC and Odisha FC, was also the most productive in terms of goals. Out of the 185 matches that were played, the ball found the back of the net 290 times. Continuing the trend, table-toppers FC Goa yet again emerged as the top scorers in the league phase with 46 goals. They even scored five more in the semi-finals. However, yet again, they got eliminated by CFC, who went on to lose to ATK in the final. 

ISL 2020-21 - 235* goals

The ongoing ISL campaign is going to be the longest. A total of 11 teams are contesting this time around with SC East Bengal as the newest entrants. With 194 games having been played, 235 goals have been recorded as of yet. While the clubs are extra-cautious in a COVID-influenced season, the number will definitely increase with 18 matches left to play. It will be interesting to see if the 300-mark can be breached or not.