# 2016–17 I-League

The 2016–17 I-League was the 10th season of the I-League, the top Indian professional league for association football clubs, since its establishment in 2007. The season began on 7 January 2017 and concluded on 30 April 2017.
Aizawl won their first title on the final day after securing a draw against Shillong Lajong on 30 April 2017. Defending champions Bengaluru finished in the fourth place. Dempo had entered the league after being promoted from the I-League 2nd Division but withdrew from the league along with Salgaocar and Sporting Goa. Aizawl were reinstated into the league after being relegated while Churchill Brothers, Chennai City, and Minerva Punjab were granted direct-entry into the I-League.

## Teams

Ten teams are competing in the league. The majority of the teams from the previous season as well as recently promoted Dempo were originally supposed to compete this season. Dempo were promoted to the I-League on 30 May 2016, defeating Minerva Academy 3–1. Aizawl were relegated from the I-League the previous season, despite finishing above last place DSK Shivajians who were exempt from relegation. However, on 27 September 2016, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced that Aizawl would be reinstated into the I-League for the 2016–17 season.
Throughout the summer of 2016, the three Goan I-League clubs – Dempo, Salgaocar, and Sporting Goa – had been indecisive over their participation in the league. On 24 June 2016 it was first announced that Salgaocar and Sporting Goa would withdraw from the I-League following their displeasure over the proposed roadmap for Indian football for the 2017–18 season, with Dempo also threatening to do so next. However, in September 2015 it was revealed that despite withdrawing Sporting Goa and Dempo still submitted their AFC Licensing documents needed for I-League play. It was then revealed on 10 November that both Sporting Goa and Dempo were given national licenses for the I-League. Despite this though, however, on 22 November 2016 it was officially announced by Sporting Goa that they would withdraw from the I-League for good.
As well as dealing with the Goan clubs potential exit from the league, the AIFF have also worked on providing direct-entry for certain clubs into the I-League for this season. On 26 October 2016 it was revealed that both Minerva Academy and FC Bardez had submitted documents for direct-entry into the I-League. However, on 23 November, it was announced that the AIFF would be issuing new tenders for a direct-entry side in the league after none of the three sides which applied fulfilled the financial criteria.
On 8 December 2016, after Dempo confirmed their exit from the league, the AIFF reinstated Churchill Brothers into the I-League. Finally, on 11 December 2016, the AIFF granted direct-entry to both Chennai City and Minerva Punjab to bring the number of teams in the league to ten.

### Stadiums and locations

    Note: Table lists in alphabetical order.
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Aizawl | Aizawl, Mizoram | Rajiv Gandhi Stadium | 5,000 |
| Bengaluru | Bangalore, Karnataka | Sree Kanteerava Stadium | 24,000 |
| Chennai City | Chennai, Tamil Nadu | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 40,000 |
| Churchill Brothers | Vasco da Gama, Goa | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 12,000 |
| DSK Shivajians | Pune, Maharashtra | Balewadi Stadium | 12,000 |
| East Bengal | Kolkata, West Bengal | Barasat Stadium | 22,000 |
| Minerva Punjab | Ludhiana, Punjab | Guru Nanak Stadium | 15,000 |
| Mohun Bagan | Kolkata, West Bengal | Rabindra Sarobar Stadium | 22,000 |
| Mumbai | Mumbai, Maharashtra | Cooperage Ground | 5,000 |
| Shillong Lajong | Shillong, Meghalaya | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 30,000 |

### Personnel and kits

| Team | Head coach | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| Aizawl | Khalid Jamil | Vamos | NE Consultancy Services |
| Bengaluru | Albert Roca | Puma | JSW Group |
| Chennai City | V Soundararajan | Classic Polo | Baako |
| Churchill Brothers | Derrick Pereira | Strikke Sports | Churchill Group |
| DSK Shivajians | Dave Rogers | Nivia | DSK Group |
| East Bengal | Mridul Banerjee | Shiv Naresh | Kingfisher |
| Minerva Punjab | Surinder Singh | T10 Sports | Indian Armed Forces |
| Mohun Bagan | Sanjoy Sen | Shiv Naresh | None |
| Mumbai | Oscar Bruzon | Nivia | Playwin |
| Shillong Lajong | Thangboi Singto | Adidas | Gionee |

### Head coaching changes

| Team | Outgoing head coach | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming head coach | Date of appointment |
| Bengaluru | Ashley Westwood | End of Contract | 1 June 2016 | Pre-season | Albert Roca | 6 July 2016 |
| DSK Shivajians | Derrick Pereira | Resigned | 8 June 2016 | Dave Rogers | 14 June 2016 |
| Mumbai | Khalid Jamil | Resigned | 15 June 2016 | Santosh Kashyap | 22 June 2016 |
| Aizawl | K. Malsawmkima | Assistant coach | 20 December 2016 | Khalid Jamil | 20 December 2016 |
| Chennai City | Robin Charles Raja | Sacked | 7 February 2017 | 10th | V Soundararajan | 9 February 2017 |
| Churchill Brothers | Alfred Fernandes | Assistant coach | 17 February 2017 | 10th | Derrick Pereira | 17 February 2017 |
| Mumbai | Santosh Kashyap | Sacked | 18 March 2017 | 10th | Óscar Bruzón | 19 March 2017 |
| East Bengal | Trevor Morgan | Resigned | 17 April 2017 | 3rd | Mridul Banerjee | 18 April 2017 |

### Foreign players

A team can register up to four foreign players, of which one should compulsorily be a national of an Asian Country.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Asian Player |
| Aizawl | Kamo Stephane Bayi | Alfred Jaryan | Kingsley Obumneme | Mahmoud Amnah |
| Bengaluru | John Johnson | Marjan Jugović | Juanan | Cameron Watson |
| Chennai City | Charles | Marcos Thank | Echezona Anyichie | |
| Churchill Brothers | Ansumana Kromah | Anthony Wolfe | | Bektur Talgat Uulu |
| DSK Shivajians | Saša Kolunija | Shane McFaul | Juan Quero | Kim Song-yong |
| East Bengal | Wedson Anselme | Willis Plaza | Ivan Bukenya | Chris Payne |
| Minerva Punjab | Victor Amobi | Loveday Enyinnaya | Kareem Omolaja | Sang-Min Kim |
| Mohun Bagan | Eduardo Ferreira | Sony Norde | Darryl Duffy | Katsumi Yusa |
| Mumbai | Densill Theobald | | | Djelaludin Sharityar |
| Shillong Lajong | Fábio Pena | Aser Pierrick Dipanda | Dan Ignat | Yuta Kinowaki |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Aizawl (C) | 18 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 24 | 14 | +10 | 37 | Qualification to Champions League qualifier |
| 2 | Mohun Bagan | 18 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 27 | 12 | +15 | 36 | |
| 3 | East Bengal | 18 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 33 | 15 | +18 | 33 | |
| 4 | Bengaluru | 18 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 30 | 15 | +15 | 30 | Qualification to AFC Cup qualifying play-off |
| 5 | Shillong Lajong | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 24 | 23 | +1 | 26 | |
| 6 | Churchill Brothers | 18 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 24 | 26 | −2 | 20 | |
| 7 | DSK Shivajians | 18 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 22 | 30 | −8 | 18 | |
| 8 | Chennai City | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 15 | 29 | −14 | 17 | |
| 9 | Minerva Punjab | 18 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 17 | 33 | −16 | 13 | |
| 10 | Mumbai (R) | 18 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 28 | −19 | 13 | Relegation to I-League 2nd Division |
* ↑ Bengaluru qualified for the 2018 AFC Cup by winning the 2016–17 Federation Cup.
* 1 2 Minerva Punjab ahead of Mumbai on head-to-head record; Minerva Punjab–Mumbai 2–1, Mumbai–Minerva Punjab 0–0

### Results table

| Home \ Away | AFC | BFC | CCFC | CB | DSK | EB | MP | MB | MFC | SLFC |
| Aizawl | | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 |
| Bengaluru | 1–0 | | 2–0 | 3–0 | 7–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 |
| Chennai City | 2–0 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–4 |
| Churchill Brothers | 1–3 | 2–1 | 6–1 | | 3–0 | 0–2 | 4–5 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 |
| DSK Shivajians | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | | 1–2 | 4–4 | 0–0 | 5–0 | 2–3 |
| East Bengal | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| Minerva Punjab | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–5 | | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 |
| Mohun Bagan | 3–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | | 2–2 | 2–0 |
| Mumbai | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–4 | 0–0 | 0–0 | | 1–1 |
| Shillong Lajong | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | |

## Season statistics

    As of 30 April 2017

### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| C.K. Vineeth | Bengaluru | Mumbai | 3–0 | 18 January 2017 |
| Wedson Anselme | East Bengal | Minerva Punjab | 5–0 | 29 January 2017 |
| Bektur Talgat Uulu $^4$ | Churchill Brothers | Chennai City | 6–1 | 22 April 2017 |
$^4$ Player scored 4 goals.

### Fair play

Churchill Brothers led the fair play table at the end of the season.
| Rank | Team | Total Points |
| 1 | Churchill Brothers | 8.07 |
| 2 | Chennai City | 7.91 |
| 3 | Shillong Lajong | 7.79 |
| 4 | Bengaluru | 7.76 |
| 4 | DSK Shivajians | 7.76 |
| 6 | Aizawl | 7.74 |
| 7 | East Bengal | 7.73 |
| 8 | Minerva Punjab | 7.69 |
| 9 | Mumbai | 7.63 |
| 10 | Mohun Bagan | 7.49 |

## Attendance

    As of 30 April 2017

### Average home attendances

| Team | GP | Cumulative | High | Low | Mean |
| East Bengal | 9 | 88,537 | 29,067 | 2,351 | 9,726 |
| Bengaluru | 9 | 78,771 | 12,642 | 5,311 | 8,752 |
| Mohun Bagan | 9 | 71,199 | 23,859 | 3,256 | 7,911 |
| Aizawl | 9 | 62,488 | 11,000 | 4,725 | 6,943 |
| Shillong Lajong | 9 | 56,200 | 23,700 | 3,200 | 6,244 |
| Chennai City | 9 | 26,538 | 5,434 | 1,123 | 2,949 |
| Minerva Punjab | 9 | 24,814 | 5,169 | 300 | 2,757 |
| Churchill Brothers | 9 | 23,044 | 3,927 | 1,736 | 2,560 |
| Mumbai | 9 | 19,319 | 3,624 | 838 | 2,145 |
| DSK Shivajians | 9 | 10,051 | 1,547 | 648 | 1,118 |
| Total | 90 | 470,941 | 29,067 | 300 | 5,233 |

### Highest attendances

| Rank | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | Date | Stadium |
| 1 | East Bengal | 0–0 | Mohun Bagan | 29,067 | 12 February 2017 (2017-02-12) | Kanchenjunga Stadium |
| 2 | Mohun Bagan | 2–1 | East Bengal | 23,859 | 9 April 2017 (2017-04-09) | Kanchenjunga Stadium |
| 3 | Shillong Lajong | 1–1 | Aizawl | 23,700 | 30 April 2017 (2017-04-30) | JLN Stadium |
| 4 | East Bengal | 1–1 | Aizawl | 12,700 | 7 January 2017 (2017-01-07) | Barasat Stadium |
| 5 | Bengaluru | 1–3 | East Bengal | 12,642 | 25 February 2017 (2017-02-25) | Sree Kanteerava Stadium |

## Awards
### Hero of the Match

| Round | Hero of the Matches | Hero of the Matches | Hero of the Matches | Hero of the Matches | Hero of the Matches |
| 1 | Kingsley Obumneme | Udanta Singh | Thoi Singh | Kingsley Fernandes | Karanjit Singh |
| 2 | Mahmoud Amnah | Darryl Duffy | Willis Plaza | Karanjit Singh | Adil Khan |
| 3 | Mahmoud Amnah | Jeje Lalpekhlua | Milan Singh | Lalrindika Ralte | C.K. Vineeth |
| 4 | Rupert Nongrum | Jerry Mawihmingthanga | Marcos Thank | Ivan Bukenya | Jayesh Rane |
| 5 | Saša Kolunija | Chesterpoul Lyngdoh | Aser Pierrick Dipanda | Marcos Thank | Wedson Anselme |
| 6 | Aser Pierrick Dipanda | Alfred Jaryan | Rowilson Rodrigues | Willis Plaza | Katsumi Yusa |
| 7 | Anirudh Thapa | Prabir Das | Vishal Kaith | Wedson Anselme | Holicharan Narzary |
| 8 | Kingsley Obumneme | Charles | Shane McFaul | Sunil Chhetri | Rehenesh TP |
| 9 | Brandon Fernandes | Albino Gomes | Laxmikant Kattimani | Vishal Kaith | Vinit Rai |
| 10 | Anthony Wolfe | Aser Pierrick Dipanda | Densil Theobald | Balwant Singh | Laldanmawia Ralte |
| 11 | Brandon Vanlalremdika | Robin Singh | Anthony Wolfe | Arnab Das Sharma | Vishal Kaith |
| 12 | Aser Pierrick Dipanda | Chesterpoul Lyngdoh | Kamo Stephane Bayi | Lenny Rodrigues | Nanda Kumar |
| 13 | Nim Dorjee Tamang | Laldanmawia Ralte | Naveen Kumar | Daniel Lalhlimpuia | Sony Norde |
| 14 | Kareem Omolaja | Holicharan Narzary | Arindam Bhattacharya | Vishal Kaith | Karanjit Singh |
| 15 | Michael Soosairaj | Milan Singh | Laxmikant Kattimani | Jayesh Rane | Sony Norde |
| 16 | Cameron Watson | Kamo Stephane Bayi | Krishna Pandit | Jerry Mawihmingthanga | Karanjit Singh |
| 17 | Zohmingliana Ralte | Bektur Talgat Uulu | Sunil Chhetri | Rowllin Borges | Isaac Vanlalsawma |
| 18 | Mandar Rao Desai | Bikash Jairu | Kim Song-yong | Kamo Stephane Bayi | Sony Norde |

### Season awards

Hero I-League 2016–17 awards were voted by coaches and captains of the participating teams.
| Award | Recipient |
| Hero of the League | Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru) |
| Best Goalkeeper | Debjit Majumder (Mohun Bagan) |
| Jarnail Singh Best Defender | Anas Edathodika (Mohun Bagan) |
| Best Midfielder | Alfred Jaryan (Aizawl) |
| Best Striker | Aser Pierrick Dipanda (Shillong Lajong) |
| Emerging Player | Jerry Lalrinzuala (DSK Shivajians) |
| Syed Abdul Rahim Best Coach | Khalid Jamil (Aizawl) |
| Best Organizers | DSK Shivajians Bengaluru |
| Fairplay award | Churchill Brothers |
| Best referee | Pranjal Banerjee |