Indian Super League
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| Country | India |
|---|---|
| Confederation | AFC |
| Founded | 21 October 2013 |
| Number of teams | 8 |
| Current champions |
Atlético de Kolkata (2016) |
| Most championships |
Atlético de Kolkata (2 titles) |
| TV partners | See media coverage |
| Website | indiansuperleague |
 2016 ISL season
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The Indian Super League (ISL) is a men's professional football league in India. The league is officially named the Hero Indian Super League for sponsorship reasons. Currently not a part of the Indian football pyramid, the league serves as one of the top tournaments in India, along with the domestic I-League. The league runs from October to early December, with a finals series determining the champion in mid-December.
The Indian Super League was founded in 2013 in an effort to make football a top sport in India and to increase the level of Indian football worldwide. The league currently features eight teams from around India, with four of the top five cities by population represented in the league. Unlike other football leagues from around the world, the ISL is one of the few leagues to not use the promotion and relegation system but instead a franchise system along the lines of the Twenty20 cricket league, the Indian Premier League, Major League Soccer of the United States and Canada, and the A-League in Australia.
Since the inaugural season, two teams have been crowned the champions of the Indian Super League. Atlético de Kolkata have won the league twice, in 2014 and 2016. Chennaiyin are the second team to have won the league, winning in 2015.
On 9 December 2010, the All India Football Federation signed a 15–year, 700–crore deal with Reliance Industries and the International Management Group of the United States (IMG-Reliance). The deal gave IMG-Reliance exclusive commercial rights to sponsorship, advertising, broadcasting, merchandising, video, franchising, and the right to create a new football league. This deal came after the AIFF ended their 10–year deal with Zee Sports five years early in October 2010.
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