The wait is nearly over! The 2018-19 season of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) will return on January 25 with Kerala Blasters hosting rivals ATK at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. With the league set to resume after more than a month of winter break, here's a quick recap of the highlights that unfolded during the first half of the season.

Bengaluru ruling the roost

Under new head coach Carles Cuadrat, Bengaluru firmly established themselves as the team to beat from the get-go. After 11 matches, the Blues still remain unbeaten and have racked up an impressive 27 points. While many expected Bengaluru to have a hard time after Albert Roca’s departure, they have proved their doubters wrong emphatically. Sunil Chhetri continues to lead by example and currently stands as the Blues’ top scorer with five goals. Rahul Bheke has also been a pivotal figure behind Bengaluru’s impressive performances, contributing in front with a few crucial goals while being solid at the back to complement the centre-back partnership between Albert Serran and Juanan. With Miku returning back from injury, only a brave man would bet against Bengaluru reaching the playoffs.

Mumbai and NorthEast reach new heights

Currently occupying the second and fourth spots respectively, both Mumbai City FC and NorthEast United FC have had successful campaigns so far. NorthEast United started the season on a brilliant note and have not slowed down since. Under Eelco Schattorie, the Highlanders have endured their best season to date and are in prime position to qualify for the knockout phase for the first time in the club's history. Bartholomew Ogbeche and Federico Gallego have been sensational for the Highlanders, with the former scoring nine goals including the first hat-trick of the season against Chennaiyin. Mumbai, on the other hand, had to bid their time after initially suffering a slow start to the season. However, Jorge Costa’s men bounced back in brilliant fashion to win six of their final eight encounters to occupy the second position.

Chennaiyin, Pune and Kerala falter

The 2018-19 season has not been a happy hunting ground for defending champions Chennaiyin FC. The Marina Machans are currently bottom of the table with just five points from 12 matches and have all but relinquished their chances of regaining the league title. Similarly, Kerala have endured a disappointing campaign with just nine points from 12 matches. Post their humiliation against Mumbai City FC in December, head coach David James parted ways with the club. FC Pune City have also slumped behind in the standings after an impressive showing in the 2017-18 campaign. Miguel Portugal departed the club early on after a string of poor results before Pradyum Reddy was brought on to steady the ship for a brief period. With Phil Brown taking charge of the team during the break, the Stallions will be hoping to put up a good showing for the remaining fixtures.

Record breakers

The first half of the season saw a number of individuals set new milestones in the league. Sunil Chhetri made his 150th appearance for Bengaluru in the match against Delhi Dynamos FC back in October. FC Goa’s Ferran Corominas has been on a rich vein of goalscoring form throughout the season, bringing Goa up to third place in the league standings. The Spaniard also equalled Iain Hume’s record of the most number of goals scored in the league’s history with 28 goals. Finally, Mumbai City’s Modou Sougou broke the record for the highest number of goals scored by an individual in a single match, when he put four past Kerala Blasters FC during the final match of the first half of the season.

It has been an eventful Hero ISL 2018-19 so far and expect a lot more to unfold once the league resumes next week.