The ninth edition of the Indian Super League (ISL) begins in Kochi on October 7, with Kerala Blasters hosting East Bengal, as the league returns to the home-and-away format after two years in a bio-bubble in Goa.
Last season, Jamshedpur FC and Hyderabad FC won the League Shield and the ISL trophy respectively, but the former are now beginning a new era with a new coach, while Manolo Marquez Roca has largely managed to keep his band of merry men together at Hyderabad. Elsewhere, there have been overhauls at several clubs, with former champions Bengaluru, Mumbai City and Chennaiyin all having new-look squads this season.
Each club is allowed to register a minimum of 25 and maximum of 35 players for the ISL, with six overseas players allowed in the squad, provided one of them is from an AFC nation.
Here are the 11 ISL squads for the 2022-23 season.
(Note: The teams appear in the order they finished the league stage last season)
Jamshedpur FC
Owen Coyle has been replaced by Englishman Aidy Boothroyd, but Coyle's fellow Scot Greg Stewart will arguably be the bigger loss for Jamshedpur. The league's best player has swapped Jamshedpur colours for Mumbai City, so the likes of Harry Sawyer and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas will be tasked with producing the regular brilliance that Stewart did.
Jamshedpur FC Squad
Goalkeepers: TP Rehenesh, Rakshit Dagar, Vishal Yadav
Defenders: Peter Hartley, Eli Sabia, Laldinliana Renthlei, Pratik Chaudhari, Ricky Lallawmawma, Laldinpuia Pachuau, Sandip Mandi, Muhammad Uvais, Saphaba Telem
Midfielders: Wellington Priori, Germanpreet Singh, Sk Sahil, Jitendra Singh, Phijam Singh
Forwards: Daniel Chima Chukwu, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Harry Sawyer, Boris Singh, Farukh Choudhary, Ishan Pandita, Komal Thatal, Ritwik Das, Seiminlen Doungel, Nikhil Barla
Hyderabad FC
The defending champions have kept a lot of their title-winning squad together, but Juanan and Asish Rai are huge misses. Odei Onaindia returns to the club and should slot straight in to ensure they don't miss Juanan. But Rai's replacement will either be the steady Reagan Singh or the inexperienced Abdul Rabeeh AK, who featured in the Durand Cup.
Hyderabad FC Squad
Goalkeepers: Laxmikant Kattimani, Anuj Kumar, Lalbiakhlua Jongte, Gurmeet Singh
Defenders: Odei Onaindia, Chinglensana Singh, Akash Mishra, Reagan Singh, Nim Dorjee Tamang, Manoj Mohammad, Alex Saji, Soyal Joshy, Abdul Rabeeh AK
Midfielders: Joao Victor, Borja Herrera, Hitesh Sharma, Mohammed Yasir, Sahil Tavora, Mark Zothanpuia, Sweden Fernandes
Forwards: Bartholomew Ogbeche, Javi Siverio, Joel Chianese, Halicharan Narzary, Aaren D'Silva, Rohit Danu
ATK Mohun Bagan
Juan Ferrando continues to remain at the helm, but this is a post-Roy-Krishna-and-David-Williams world for ATK Mohun Bagan. Florentin Pogba and Brendan Hamill will look to fill a Tiri-shaped hole at the heart of their defence, while the onus of replacing Krishna looks likely to fall on Dimitrios Petratos, who is the only overseas forward in their squad.
ATK Mohun Bagan Squad
Goalkeepers: Vishal Kaith, Arsh Saini, Debnath Mondal
Defenders: Brendan Hamill, Florentin Pogba, Pritam Kotal, Subhasish Bose, Asish Rai, Ravi Rana, Sumit Rathi
Midfielders: Carl McHugh, Joni Kauko, Hugo Boumous, Deepak Tangri, Lenny Rodrigues, Pronay Halder, Lalrinliana Hnamte, Engson Ningombam, Abhishek Suryavanshi
Forwards: Dimitrios Petratos, Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Ashique Kuruniyan, Kiyan Nassiri
Kerala Blasters
Ivan Vukomanovic's high-pressing 4-2-2-2 formation took the ISL by storm last season, but strikers Vazquez and Jorge Pereyra Diaz aren't at the club this season. So it is imperative that Dimitrios Diamantakos and Apostolos Giannou manage to dovetail with Adrian Luna and Sahal Abdul Samad from day one in Kochi.
Kerala Blasters FC Squad
Goalkeepers: Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Sachin Suresh, Karanjit Singh, Muheet Khan
Defenders: Marko Leskovic, Victor Mongil, Harmanjot Khabra, Hormipam Ruivah, Sandeep Singh, Nishu Kumar, Jessel Carneiro, Bijoy Varghese
Midfielders: Adrian Luna, Ivan Kaliuzhnyi, Sahal Abdul Samad, Lalthathanga Khawlhring, Jeakson Singh, Ayush Adhikari, Givson Singh, Bryce Miranda, Nihal Sudeesh, Saurav Mandal, Vibin Mohanan
Forwards: Apostolos Giannou, Dimitrios Diamantakos, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Bidyashagar Singh, Sreekuttan MS
Mumbai City FC
Mumbai City FC missed out on the playoffs last season, and they've responded with some massive statement signings. Stewart and Pereyra Diaz add guaranteed end-product to a side that was found wanting on that front last season. Lallianzuala Chhangte is coming off a fiery Durand Cup as well, to add even more goals to the side.
Mumbai City FC Squad
Goalkeepers: Phurba Lachenpa, Mohammed Nawaz, Bhaskar Roy
Defenders: Mourtada Fall, Rostyn Griffiths, Rahul Bheke, Amey Ranawade, Sanjeev Stalin, Mandar Rao Dessai, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy, Mehtab Singh, Gursimrat Singh Gill
Midfielders: Ahmed Jahouh, Alberto Noguera, Lalengmawia Ralte, Vinit Rai, Rowllin Borges, Asif Khan
Forwards: Greg Stewart, Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh, Vikram Partap Singh, Gurkirat Singh, Ayush Chhikara
Bengaluru FC
Bengaluru have struggled in the last two seasons, and they've now looked to set it right by adding star power to their squad. Roy Krishna, Sandesh Jhingan and Javi Hernandez have joined from elsewhere in the ISL, while in the likes of Prabir Das and Faisal Ali, they look to have made some shrewd acquisitions as well.
Bengaluru FC Squad
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Lara Sharma, Amrit Gope, Sharon Padattil
Defenders: Aleksandar Jovanovic, Alan Costa, Sandesh Jhingan, Prabir Das, Wungngayam Muirang, Prabir Das, Naorem Roshan Singh, Hira Mondal, Namgyal Bhutia
Midfielders: Bruno Ramires, Javi Hernandez, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Danish Farooq, Jayesh Rane, Rohit Kumar
Forwards: Roy Krishna, Prince Ibara, Sunil Chhetri, Udanta Singh, Leon Augustine, Faisal Ali, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Harmanpreet Singh, Edmund Lalrindika, Akashdeep Singh
Odisha FC
Josep Gombau is back as head coach, and so is centre-back Carlos Delgado. Amrinder Singh is definitely their biggest acquisition in the off-season, but a mix of experience, poise, flair and speed in the attacking areas make Odisha a team to watch out for this season.
Odisha FC Squad
Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Lalthuammawia Ralte, Niraj Kumar
Defenders: Carlos Delgado, Narendar Gahlot, Shubham Sarangi, Lalruathhara, Sahil Panwar, Denechandra Meitei, Nikhil Prabhu, Lalhrezuala Sailung, Deven Sawhney, Rishabh Dobriyal, Sebastian Thangmuansang
Midfielders: Osama Malik, Saul Crespo, Victor Rodriguez, Raynier Fernandes, Isaac Vanmalsawma, Thoiba Singh, Paul Ramfangzuava
Forwards: Diego Mauricio, Pedro Martin, Jerry Mawihmingthanga, Nandhakumar Sekar, Michael Soosairaj, Akshunna Tyagi, Isak Vanlalruatfela, CVL Remtluanga
Chennaiyin FC
Much like Bengaluru, Chennaiyin have also struggled in the last two seasons, but they've gone about their recruitment differently, packing their squad with exciting young Indian talent like Sajal Bag, Aakash Sangwan and Monotosh Chakladar. The overseas players are all unknown quantities in the ISL for the moment. Rafael Crivellaro was set to stay, but a late decision saw him replaced by Nasser El Khyati instead.
Chennaiyin FC Squad
Goalkeepers: Debjit Majumder, Samik Mitra, Devansh Dabas, Lovepreet Singh
Defenders: Fallou Diagne, Vafa Hakhamaneshi, Sajid Dhot, Salam Ranjan Singh, Narayan Das, Ajith Kumar, Aakash Sangwan, Gurmukh Singh, Monotosh Chakladar, Balaji Ganesan, Lijo Francis, Aqib Nawab
Midfielders: Nasser El Khyati, Julius Duker, Anirudh Thapa, Edwin Sydney Vanspaul, Sajal Bag, Sourav Das, Jiteshwor Singh, Mohammed Rafique, Johnson Mathews, Subhadip Majhi
Forwards: Petar Sliskovic, Kwane Karikari, Rahim Ali, Vincy Barreto, Alexander Romario Jesuraj, Ninthoingamba Meetei, Jobby Justin, Jockson Dhas, Suhail Pasha, Mohammed Liyaakath
FC Goa
Carlos Pena has gone from player three years ago to becoming FC Goa's head coach now. The talismanic Edu Bedia remains with the squad, but the other five overseas players are new to the club, although Alvaro Vazquez has already shown the ISL his class after an excellent season with Kerala Blasters last time.
FC Goa Squad
Goalkeepers: Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Arshdeep Singh, Hrithik Tiwari
Defenders: Marc Valiente, Fares Arnaout, Anwar Ali, Seriton Fernandes, Aibanbha Dohling, Saviour Gama, Sanson Pereira, Leander D'Cunha, Lesly Rebello
Midfielders: Edu Bedia, Iker Guarrotxena, Brandon Fernandes, Princeton Rebello, Glan Martins, Muhammad Nemil, Lalremruata Hmar, Brison Fernandes, Ayush Chhetri
Forwards: Alvaro Vazquez, Noah Sadaoui, Phrangki Buam, Makan Chothe, Redeem Tlang, Devendra Murgaonkar
NorthEast United FC
None of their overseas players have played in the ISL before, although Matt Derbyshire brings along years of experience, including some from the Premier League. It's a young set of Indians who will be looking to prove themselves to head coach Marco Balbul.
NorthEast United FC Squad
Goalkeepers: Arindam Bhattacharja, Mirshad Michu, Nikhil Deka, Khoirom Singh
Defenders: Michael Jakobsen, Aaron Evans, Gaurav Bora, Gurjinder Kumar, Joe Zoherliana, Mashoor Shereef, Tondonba Singh, Provat Lakra
Midfielders: Jon Gaztanaga, Romain Phillippoteaux, Emanuel Lalchhanchhuaha, Emil Benny, Pragyan Gogoi, Mohamed Irshad, Imran Khan, Sehnaj Singh
Forwards: Matt Derbyshire, Sylvester Igboun, Rochharzela, Laldanmawia Ralte, Jithin MS, Gani Nigam, Dipu Mirdha, Alfred Lalroutsang, Parthib Gogoi
East Bengal
The Stephen Constantine era is underway at East Bengal, with what most certainly looks a squad more equipped to compete in the ISL than the last two seasons. There's ISL experience amongst the overseas players, while the Indians like VP Suhair, Jerry Lalrinzuala and Sauvik Chakrabarti bring considerable strength to their squad.
East Bengal FC Squad
Goalkeepers: Kamaljit Singh, Naveen Kumar, Pawan Kumar
Defenders: Ivan Gonzalez, Charis Kyriakou, Ankit Mukherjee, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Lalchungnunga, Mohammed Rakip, Sarthak Golui, Nabi Khan, Pritam Singh, Tuhin Das
Midfielders: Alex Lima, Jordan O'Doherty, Amarjit Singh, Mobashir Rahman, Sauvik Chakrabarti, Wahengbam Luwang
Forwards: Cleiton Silva, Eliandro, Aniket Jadhav, VP Suhair, Semboi Haokip, Sumeet Passi, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Himanshu Jangra