The 2022–23 I-League (also known as the Hero I-League for sponsorship reasons) was the 16th season of I-League, first as the second tier of Indian football league system. It was played from 12 November 2022 to 12 March 2023.
After a 4–0 win against Rajasthan United on 4 March 2023, RoundGlass Punjab clinched their second league title and became the first ever club to be promoted to the Indian Super League while Kenkre and Sudeva Delhi were relegated to I-League 2.
Changes from last season Disbanded clubs Indian Arrows
Reinstated clubs Kenkre: After being relegated at the end of the 2021–22 I-League season, Kenkre was allowed to participate this season. The closure of the Indian Arrows project played a major part in their reinstatement. The conditions for their reinstatement were an agreement to take in several Arrows players and no travel subsidy for away matches.
Changes in format Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament's format was shortened for the last two seasons. From this season, the traditional home and away games format in a double round-robin have returned. Each team will play two matches against every other team at home and away.
The table topper will be declared the league's winner at the end of the season, thereby achieving promotion to 2023–24 Indian Super League, while the two teams with the lowest points will be relegated to 2023–24 I-League 2, and will get a bye to the final round.
Teams 12 teams participated in the 2022–23 season:
Stadiums and locations Due to a lack of AFC standard football stadiums available in Rajasthan, Rajasthan United will play their home matches at Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi. RoundGlass Punjab will play their home matches at Panchkula's Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Haryana. On 22 October 2022, AIFF chief Kalyan Chaubey inaugurated the new home ground of Sreenidi Deccan, the Deccan Arena.
TeamLocationStadiumCapacityAizawlAizawl, MizoramRajiv Gandhi Stadium20,000Churchill BrothersPanaji, GoaGMC Athletic Stadium3,000Vasco, GoaTilak Maidan5,000Gokulam KeralaCalicut, KeralaEMS Stadium50,000Manjeri, KeralaPayyanad Stadium30,000KenkreMumbai, MaharashtraCooperage Ground5,000MohammedanKolkata, West BengalKishore Bharati Krirangan12,000NEROCAImphal, ManipurKhuman Lampak Main Stadium35,000RoundGlass PunjabMohali, ChandigarhTau Devi Lal Stadium12,000Rajasthan UnitedJaipur, RajasthanAmbedkar Stadium (New Delhi)35,000Real KashmirSrinagar, Jammu and KashmirTRC Turf Ground11,000Sreenidi DeccanHyderabad, TelanganaDeccan Arena1,500Sudeva DelhiNew Delhi, DelhiChhatrasal Stadium16,000TRAUImphal, ManipurKhuman Lampak Main Stadium35,000
Personnel and sponsorship
TeamHead coachCaptainKit manufacturerShirt sponsor Aizawl Caetano Pinho Lalchhawnkima VamosNECS Limited Churchill Brothers Mateus Costa Momo Cissé Nivia Churchill Brothers Gokulam Kerala Francesc Bonet Aminou Bouba SEGA CSB Bank Kenkre Akhil Kothari Kiran Pandhare Hummel Kenkre Sports Foundation Mohammedan Mehrajuddin Wadoo Marcus Joseph Trak-only BunkerHill Sports NEROCA Khogen Singh David Simbo Ambition Sportswear GOELD Frozen Foods Rajasthan United Pushpender Kundu Aidar Mambetaliev Omtex Sports Real Kashmir Gifton Noel-Williams Subhasish Roy Chowdhury Nivia Hotel CH2 Srinagar RoundGlass Punjab Staikos Vergetis Aleksandar Ignjatović T10 SportsRoundGlass Sports Sreenidi Deccan Carlos Vaz Pinto David Castañeda Nivia Sreenidhi Sports Academy Sudeva Delhi Sankarlal Chakraborty Priyant Singh Shiv-Naresh Liquid Life TRAU Nandakumar Singh Gerard Williams SIX5SIX HVS
Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Round Table Incoming manager Date of appointment Rajasthan United Francesc Bonet End of contract 1 June 2022Pre-season Pushpender Kundu 1 July 2022 Gokulam Kerala Vincenzo Annese End of contract 1 June 2022 Richard Towa 5 July 2022 Sreenidi Deccan Fernando Varela End of contract 13 June 2022 Carlos Vaz Pinto 3 August 2022 RoundGlass Punjab Ed Engelkes End of interim period 1 June 2022 Staikos Vergetis 8 August 2022 Aizawl Yan Law End of contract 13 August 2022 Henry Rozario 24 August 2022 Sudeva Delhi Mehrajuddin Wadoo End of interim period 31 August 2022 Atsushi Nakamura 1 September 2022 Real Kashmir David Robertson End of contract 31 August 2022 Mehrajuddin Wadoo 7 November 2022 Churchill Brothers Antonio Rueda Sacked 2 December 2022511th Fernando Varela 1 January 2023 Sudeva Delhi Atsushi Nakamura Sacked 5 December 2022512th Sankarlal Chakraborty 13 December 2022 Aizawl Henry Rozario Personal reasons 7 December 202268th Caetano Pinho 9 December 2022 Mohammedan Andrey ChernyshovSacked 16 December 202289th Kibu Vicuña 24 December 2022 Gokulam Kerala Richard Towa 26 December 202294th Francesc Bonet 27 December 2022 Real Kashmir Mehrajuddin Wadoo 1 February 2023147th Gifton Noel-Williams 8 February 2023 Churchill Brothers Fernando Varela 1 February 2023145th Mateus Costa 1 February 2023 Mohammedan Kibu Vicuña 21 February 2023179th Mehrajuddin Wadoo 22 February 2023
Transfers
Foreign players
AIFF allowed a maximum of six foreign players, including one from an AFC-affiliated country per team, but only four can be part of the matchday squad.
Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 AFC player Former player(s) Aizawl Matías Verón Ivan Veras Akito Saito Emmanuel Makinde Henry Kisekka Eisuke Mohri Churchill Brothers Emmanuel Yaghr Abdoulaye Sané Momo Cissé Martín Cháves Sharif Mukhammad Kamo Bayi Milad Pakparvar Manu Cordero Tana Gokulam Kerala Kaká Aminou Bouba Eldar Moldozhunusov Omar Ramos Sergio Mendigutxia Farshad Noor Juan Nellar Auguste Somlaga Dodi Ndo Kenkre Auguste Somlaga Raphael Bidias Rim Anjan Bista Francis Nwankwo Samandar Ochilov Ben Ouattara Mohammedan Mirlan Murzaev Abiola Dauda Ousmane N'Diaye Nikola Stojanović Marcus Joseph Shaher Shaheen Nuriddin Davronov NEROCA Michael Kporvi Kamo Bayi Jourdain Fletcher David Simbo Mirjalol Kasimov Sardor Jakhonov Rajasthan United Léonce Dodoz Aidar Mambetaliev Atai Dzhumashev Bektur Amangeldiev Otabek Zokirov Nuha Marong Youssef Atriss Martín Cháves Joseba Beitia Real Kashmir Ernest Boateng Ibrahim Nurudeen Richard Agyemang Wadudu Yakubu Nuriddin Davronov Issahak Seidu Lamine Moro Nozim Babadzhanov RoundGlass Punjab Juan Nellar Chencho Gyeltshen Aleksandar Ignjatović Luka Majcen Juan Mera Kiran Chemjong Adnan Šećerović Sreenidi Deccan David Castañeda Dua Stanislas Ankira Mohamed Awal Ogana Louis Rilwan Hassan Faysal Shayesteh Sudeva Delhi Alexis Gómez Akeem Abioye Shavkati Khotam Isaac Essel Kosuke Yamazaki Tetsuaki Misawa Felix Chidi Odili Francis Nwankwo Daneil Cyrus TRAU Fernandinho Gerson Vieira Godfred Yeboah Nana Poku Gerard Williams Komron Tursunov
League table
Fixtures and results
Positions by round
Results by games
Season statistics Top scorers As of 12 March 2023 RankPlayerClubGoals1 Luka MajcenRoundGlass Punjab162 David CastañedaSreenidi Deccan153 Juan MeraRoundGlass Punjab104 Jourdain FletcherNEROCA9 Abiola DaudaMohammedan6 Komron TursunovTRAU8 Alexis GómezSudeva Delhi Sergio MendigutxiaGokulam Kerala9 Marcus JosephMohammedan7 Abdoulaye SanéChurchill Brothers
Top Indian scorers The table includes only the list of top Indian goalscorers with more than 3 goals in this season.
RankPlayerClubGoals1Seilenthang LotjemSudeva Delhi6Samuel KynshiReal Kashmir3Salam Johnson SinghTRAU54Aman GaikwadKenkre4Anil GaonkarChurchill BrothersTharpuiaAizawl
Hat-tricks Player For Against Result Date Ref David Castañeda Sreenidi Deccan Sudeva Delhi 3–0 (A) Juan Mera RoundGlass Punjab Sudeva Delhi 8–0 (H) Alexis Gómez Sudeva Delhi NEROCA 3–3 (H) Abiola Dauda Mohammedan Sudeva Delhi 5–2 (H)
Top assists As of 12 March 2023 RankPlayerClubAssists 1 Komron TursunovTRAU7 David CastañedaSreenidi Deccan Faysal ShayestehSreenidi Deccan4 Martín ChávesRajasthan United Churchill Brothers6 RamhlunchhungaSreenidi Deccan Noufal PNGokulam Kerala
Clean sheets As of 12 March 2023 RankPlayerClubClean sheetsMatches played1 Shibinraj KunniyilGokulam Kerala1119 Kiran ChemjongRoundGlass Punjab213 Albino GomesChurchill Brothers7174 Ubaid CKSreenidi Deccan612 Subhasish Roy ChowdhuryReal Kashmir17
Discipline Player Most yellow cards: 9 Melroy Assisi Mirjalol Kasimov
Most red cards: 1 27 players
Club Most yellow cards: 47 Real Kashmir
Most red cards: 5 Churchill Brothers
Attendances Overall statistical table
Attendances by home match played Team \ Match played1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Total 7,6573,1741,7301,3001,3002,0001,1001,2452,2101,5002,44525,661 1,8321,7251,2003,2563,4751,1861,2361,9311,8721,1001,11319,926 8,2342,1503,6001,3202,3151,5502,8642,3521,2851,2161,25328,139 2,5001,8122,75884064062085346054045023811,711 6302,3461,1261,8501,2082,8761,7562,1261,0001,3561,21717,491 7,5805,7243,1252,1252,1761,3502,8743,7004,3283,1821,23937,403 4,8753,0251,3566003001,1231,1291,21240750053615,063 4,0003,5004,1234,0383,9503,4462,2362,1002,5135381,00031,444 1,3211,4201,1378502001,1001,1003005005606,32714,815 1,6371,013300750164500866741981622405,724 2,5003,5061,256100235556151502001562508,924 2,5642,1506,8761,7271,2351,0002,8761,0241,1001,8451,30823,705
Legend:
Source: I-League
Broadcasting The 2022–23 I-League season aired on India's DD Sports and Eurosport HD television channels. It was also available on the Discovery+ mobile app. However, after the start of the league, the broadcast was fraught with problems.
Awards Hero of the match