The Indian Super League (ISL) was founded in 2013. The ISL follows a format involving both a league table and a knockout stage. The participating teams play against every team twice. The top four teams at the end of the season qualify for the knockout stages. The 1st placed team plays the 4th placed team in one semi-final, and the other two teams play in the second semi-final. The winners of both games play a final game to determine the winner. The league originally started with eight teams, but now twelve teams participate in the tournament. This article features the clubs that have managed to win the Indian Super League title.
Year | Champions | Runners-Up |
2014 | Atletico de Kolkata | Kerela Blasters |
2015 | Chennaiyin | Goa |
2016 | Atletico de Kolkata | Kerela Blasters |
2017–18 | Chennaiyin | Bengaluru |
2018–19 | Bengaluru | Goa |
2019–20 | ATK | Chennaiyin |
2020–21 | Mumbai City | Mohun Bagan SG |
2021–22 | Hyderabad | Kerela Blasters |
2022–23 | Mohun Bagan SG | Bengaluru |
ISL Champions – ATK Mohun Bagan FC! 💚❤️#ISL #ATKMohunBaganFC #ATKMBBFC pic.twitter.com/F6haPibUkq
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) March 19, 2023
Mohun Bagan Super Giant is one of the oldest clubs in Asia. It was founded in 1889. They have participated in the Indian Super League since the 2020 – 21 season. They started their first season with a bang. They finished second in the table during the league stage and qualified for the knockout stages. They beat NorthEast United in the semi-final but lost to Mumbai City in the final.
They managed to qualify for the knockout stages in their second season as well but lost in the semi-finals against Hyderabad. In their third season, they finally managed to win the ISL title. They beat Hyderabad in the semi-final and Bengaluru FC in the final to win their first Indian Super League title.
Credit: Mathrubhumi
Hyderabad FC started playing in the Indian Super League in the 2019 – 20 season. Their start to the ISL did not go as planned. They won only two of the 18 matches in the season and finished at the bottom of the table. They improved a lot in their second season but missed out on the knockout stages by just two points. In the 2021 – 22 season, Hyderabad FC showed what they are capable of.
They won 11 of their 20 matches and finished second in the table, qualifying for the knockout stages for the first time. They held their nerves in the knockout stages and beat Mohun Bagan in the semi-final and Kerela Blasters in the final to win their first and only ISL title.
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CHAMPIONS OF INDIA! 🏆🇮🇳
Mumbai City FC secure the Indian Super League 2022-23 Shield Title with 2 matches to go as they have 46 points on board and ensure an unassailable top of the league finish. Absolute domination. 💙💙💙
Congratulations! #ISL pic.twitter.com/Jj9dtUSEPo
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) February 11, 2023
Mumbai City FC is one of the original eight clubs participating in the first-ever Indian Super League season. They failed to qualify for the knockout stages in 2014 and 2015. They finished first in the league in 2016 and made it to the knockout stages. However, they were unable to continue their league form into the knockout stages and lost to ATK Football Club in the semi-final. In the 2017 – 18 season, Mumbai City failed to make the knockout stages again.
They got a second shot at the title after qualifying for the knockouts in the 2018 – 19 season but once again succumbed in the semi-final, this time to FC Goa. It seems that Mumbai City struggles with consistency because after reaching the semi-final, they once again failed to make the knockouts in the 2019 – 20 season. It was the 2020 – 21 season when things were finally looking perfect for Mumbai City.
After a dominating performance, they qualified for the semi-final, finishing on top of the table. They exacted their revenge on Goa, beating them in the semi-final. They beat Mohun Bagan in the final to win their first and only ISL title. Mumbai once again finished on top of the table in the 2022-23 season, but this time lost to FC Bengaluru in the semi-final.
ISL 2018-19 Final: Bengaluru FC win maiden title with 1-0 win over FC Goa pic.twitter.com/R2ePSafHVV
— Prafulla Chowdhury (@PrafullaChowdh5) March 17, 2019
Bengaluru FC’s first participation in the Indian Super League came in the 2017 – 18 season. They started very strong, winning 13 of their 18 games and finishing on top of the table. They beat Pune City in the semi-final to reach the final in their first-ever season. However, they were unable to beat Chennaiyin FC and finished as the runners-up in their first ISL season. Bengaluru continued their form to the next season as well. They finished on top of the table once again to reach the semi-final. They beat NorthEast United in the semi-final and reached the final for the second time in two years.
This time, Bengaluru FC managed to hold their nerves and beat FC Goa to win their first-ever ISL title. Bengaluru qualified for the knockouts in the 2019 – 20 season as well, but this time, it lost to ATK Football Club in the semi-final. After such a strong start to life in the ISL, Bengaluru FC failed to qualify for the knockout stages for two seasons in a row. They finally made it to the knockout stages again in the 2022-23 season. They beat Mumbai City in the semi-final to reach the final but lost to Mohun Bagan in the final.
Namma Marina Machans😎 @ChennaiyinFC are the ISL 2017-18 champions! 🏆 They beat👏✌ #BengaluruFC 3-2 in the #ISLFinal tis is Chennaiyin❤FC's 2nd ISL title❤❤…#BENCHE #IrudhiYuttham 🔥 #PoduMachiGoalu 💪… pic.twitter.com/FGjqghk6CB
— Santhosh wear mask_get vaccinated (@name_is_Sana) March 17, 2018
Chennaiyin Football Club is one of the original eight teams that participated in the first season of the Indian Super League. They performed exceptionally well in the first season, finishing on top of the table and qualifying for the knockout stages. However, they lost in the semi-final to Kerela Blasters. Chennaiyin qualified for the knockouts once again in 2015. This time, they managed to hold their nerves and won their first-ever title after beating ATK Football Club in the Semi-final and FC Goa in the final. After winning in 2015, Chennaiyin FC had a terrible season in 2016. They finished second from the bottom in the league stage.
After this performance, they came back very strong in the 2017 – 18 season. They finished second on the table to qualify for the knockout stages. They beat FC Goa in the semi-final and Bengaluru FC in the final to win their second and final ISL title. After winning the title in the 2017 – 18 season, Chennaiyin FC were unable to match their performances in the ISL up till now. There have been five seasons since then, and Chennaiyin qualified for the knockout stages just once. They did so in the 2019 – 20 season, in which they lost in the final to ATK Football Club.
Credit: AIFF
ATK Football Club is the most successful club in Indian Super League history. They are one of the original eight teams which played in the first ISL season. Their final appearance in the Indian Super League came in the 2019 – 20 season. The club was dissolved on 1st June 2020 after merging with the football division of Mohun Bagan AC. ATK made it to the knockout stages in four of the six seasons they played in.
Their first knockout appearance came in 2014. They beat FC Goa to reach the finals. They faced Kerela Blasters in the final. They beat them to become the first-ever winners of the Indian Super League. ATK managed to reach the knockout stages in 2015 as well. However, they lost to Chennaiyin FC in the semi-final.
They made it to the knockouts in three consecutive years after finishing fourth in 2016. They beat Mumbai City FC in the semi-final and Kerela Blasters in the final to win their second ISL title. Their fourth appearance in the knockout stages came in the 2019 – 20 season. They went on to beat Bengaluru FC in the semi-final and Chennaiyin FC in the final to win their third and final ISL title.
For more news and updates on the Indian Super League, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Telegram.
Guransh Machra is a sportswriter at Gutshot Magazine. He covers football news from local leagues like the Indian Super League as well as international leagues like the Premier League. He follows various sports like Football, Cricket, Formula 1, and Tennis. Apart from sports, Guransh is also enthusiastic about reading and gaming.
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