Mark your calendars! The Hero Indian Super League (ISL) returns for its fifth season and this time it promises to be bigger and better than ever before. As fans nationwide gear up to don the jerseys and flaunt the colours of their favourite clubs, indiansuperleague.com has picked out five reasons why you should remain hooked to the 2018-19 season.

First weekend feast

What better way to start the new campaign than a clash between two of the league’s most renowned clubs. ATK and Kerala Blasters FC have shared a fierce rivalry over the years, which started off when the two teams met in the final of the inaugural Hero ISL  season. The game will take place at the iconic Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in front of the passionate Kolkata fans.

The second game features a repeat of last year’s final as defending champions Chennaiyin FC take on Bengaluru FC. The two Southern outfits shared an intense rivalry last year and will be raring to go at each other once again on September 30. While the Blues will plan for redemption, the reigning champions would want to commence their title defence on a positive note.

Hopeful sequels

Last year, we witnessed new teams and a host of new players make their mark in the Hero ISL. Bengaluru had an impressive debut campaign when they finished as runners-up, while Jamshedpur FC narrowly missed out on a playoff spot. Hence, fans of both the teams will be hoping for more success this time around.

We also saw a few players leave a lasting impression during their debut campaign in 2017-18. The likes of Miku, Ferran Corominas and Manuel Lanzarote were the league’s top marksmen and their return can only mean one thing – goals, goals and more goals. John Johnson and Juanan were equally effective at the back and will undoubtedly prove to be immovable rocks this time around.

New gaffers at the helm

This campaign will feature plenty of new faces on the touchline, urging their teams on during matches, as most of the Hero ISL clubs have brought in new head coaches to lead the charge. Jorge Costa takes over the reigns at Mumbai City FC, while Spaniard Josep Gombau will lead Delhi’s charge this season.

Jamshedpur also have appointed Cesar Ferrando as the new head coach after former gaffer Steve Coppell changed clubs to ATK. On the other hand, Bengaluru have a new manager at the helm in the form of Carles Cuadrat. However, we can expect the Blues to continue playing free-flowing attacking football, owing to the Spaniard’s roots with the club.

Eelco Schattorie, who served as the assistant manager for NorthEast United last year, has been asked to head the club this season and will be under the hot seat to guide the Highlanders to glory. Thus, get prepared from some truly enthralling tactical showdowns.

Renowned names to idolise

The summer transfer window has yielded a few familiar as well as promising new faces to look forward to. The most notable of them is Tim Cahill who joined Jamshedpur earlier this month. The Australian legend is a renowned footballing figure and will draw large audiences to the JRD Tata Complex.

Bhutan’s all-time top goal-scorer Chencho Gyeltshen already has a huge fan following and will likely win over the hearts of the Bengaluru supporters with his performances on the pitch. Defending champions Chennaiyin FC have picked up talented playmaker Andrea Orlandi while NorthEast United have acquired prolific striker Bartholomew Ogbeche, both of whom are capable of setting the Hero ISL stage alight with their performances.

Non-stop action

With the AFC Asian Cup 2019 in mind, the new campaign will feature a slightly different format. Fans now have the opportunity to witness high-octane football every day of the week until December 16. Two international breaks have been slotted in October and November, before the league closes in December for the Asian Cup preparations.