# 2022–23 Indian Women's League

The 2022–23 Indian Women's League (also known as Hero Indian Women's League for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the Indian Women's League, the top division women's professional football league in India. On 21 May, Gokulam Kerala successfully defended their title by winning the final against Kickstart, and became the first club to complete a hat-trick of Indian Women's League titles.

## Format

The draw took place on 30 March 2023 at Football House, Dwarka, New Delhi. Speaking at the draw, Shaji Prabhakaran, the All India Football Federation Secretary General, said "My best wishes to all the 16 teams ... all efforts have been made to create a holistic situation for the development and rapid growth of Indian women's football."
Sixteen teams will participate in the league. The final round will consist of the group format with eight teams participating in each group. The top four teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stage. The top eight teams of the season will receive direct slots for the next season of IWL.

### Broadcasting

On 25 April, 2023 All India Football Federation announced that the evening matches of Indian Women's League will be streamed live on Indian Football YouTube channel.

## Qualification

State women's leagues organised by various state federations acted as qualifier for this season. The champions of the twelve state leagues have been awarded a place in the final round along with the clubs which finished in the top four positions in the 2021–22 season. The slot for the state league whose current champions also qualified via top four qualification, went to the runner-up of the league.
| Club | State/Region | Qualification |
| 2021–22 Indian Women's League |||
| Gokulam Kerala | Kerala | Champions |
| Sethu | Tamil Nadu | Runners-up |
| Kickstart | Karnataka | Third place |
| Sports Odisha | Odisha | Fourth place |
| 2022–23 Indian Women's State leagues |||
| Celtic Queens | Puducherry | 2022–23 Pondicherry Women's League champions |
| CRPF | Punjab | 2022–23 Punjab Women's League champions |
| Churchill Brothers | Goa | 2022–23 Goa Women's League champions |
| East Bengal | West Bengal | 2022–23 Calcutta Women's Football League champions |
| Eastern Sporting Union | Manipur | 2022–23 Manipur Women's League champions |
| HOPS | Delhi | 2022–23 FD Women's League champions |
| Kahaani | Gujarat | 2022–23 Gujarat State Women's League champions |
| Lords FA | Kerala | 2022–23 Kerala Women's League champions |
| Mata Rukmani Girls | Chhattisgarh | 2022–23 Chhattisgarh State Women's Football League champions |
| Misaka United | Karnataka | 2022–23 Karnataka Women's League runner-up |
| Mumbai Knights | Maharashtra | 2022–23 WIFA Women's Football League champions |
| Odisha | Odisha | 2022–23 Odisha Women's League champions |
* ↑ The champions of the 2022–23 Karnataka Women's League, Kickstart had already qualified.

## Clubs
### Stadiums and locations

The matches were played at two venues located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat; Transstadia and Shahbaug Police Stadium.
| Club | City | State/Region |
| Celtic Queens | Pondicherry | Puducherry |
| Churchill Brothers | Vasco da Gama | Goa |
| CRPF | Jalandhar | Punjab |
| East Bengal | Kolkata | West Bengal |
| Eastern Sporting Union | Imphal | Manipur |
| Gokulam Kerala | Kozhikode | Kerala |
| HOPS | New Delhi | Delhi |
| Kahaani | Ahmedabad | Gujarat |
| Kickstart | Bengaluru | Karnataka |
| Lords FA | Kochi | Kerala |
| Mata Rukmani | Bastar | Chhattisgarh |
| Misaka United | Bengaluru | Karnataka |
| Mumbai Knights | Mumbai | Maharastra |
| Odisha | Bhubaneswar | Odisha |
| Sethu | Madurai | Tamil Nadu |
| Sports Odisha | Bhubaneswar | Odisha |

### Personnel and sponsorships

| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| Celtic Queens | Nitesh Sharma | Sujata Shetty | | |
| Churchill Brothers | Girijadevi Desai | Laura Estibeiro | | |
| CRPF | Uttam Singh Negi | Binita Kerketta | | |
| East Bengal | Sujata Kar | Ratna Halder | Trak Only | Emami |
| Eastern Sporting Union | Lourembam Ronibala Chanu | Irom Prameshwori Devi | | Karkinos Healthcare |
| Gokulam Kerala | Anthony Andrews | Grace Dangmei | SEGA | CSB Bank |
| HOPS | Sanjay Singh | Renu Rani | Roseate | Dharam Foundation |
| Kahaani | Lalita Saini | Maya Rabari | | Sameeksha Capital |
| Kickstart | Langam Chaoba Devi | Dalima Chhibber | | Haier |
| Lords FA | Nirvan Jagdish Shah | Bhagyashree Dalvi | | ICCS College of Engg and Mgmt, Joy E Bike |
| Mata Rukmani | Shantanu Ghosh | Nilima Khakha | | COSCO |
| Misaka United | Anup Theres Raj | Tarini Kumar | Hummel | MFAR Constructions, Five Morsels Press |
| Mumbai Knights | Rutuja Gunwant | Valencia Lourdina D'mello | | |
| Odisha | Crispin Chettri | Bala Devi | Trak Only | Odisha Tourism |
| Sethu | Joseph Naik | Naorem Priyangka Devi | | COSCO |
| Sports Odisha | Paromita Sit | Mamata Patra | Nivia Sports | Odisha Tourism |

## Foreign players

AIFF allowed maximum of three foreign players per team but only two can be part of starting 11.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
| Celtic Queens | Mercy Amorkor Tagoe | Idah Atieno Odhiambo | — |
| Churchill Brothers | — | — | — |
| CRPF | — | — | — |
| East Bengal | — | — | — |
| Eastern Sporting Union | — | — | — |
| Gokulam Kerala | Sabitra Bhandari | Vivian Adjei | Beatrice Ntiwaa Nketia |
| HOPS | — | — | — |
| Kahaani | — | — | — |
| Kickstart | Saru Limbu | Renuka Nagarkote | Kioko Elizabeth Katungwa |
| Lords FA | Camille Rodriguez | Anita Basnet | — |
| Mata Rukmani | — | — | — |
| Misaka United | Nurul Azurin Mazlan | Lucy Kwekwe Jira | Sonia Opoku |
| Mumbai Knights | Alexandra Marie Eccard | — | — |
| Odisha | Cynthia Santos | Faustina Worwornyo Akpo | — |
| Sethu | Anjila Tumbapo Subba | Dorcas Sikobe | Ivy Faith Atieno |
| Sports Odisha | Rekha Poudel | — | — |

## Group stage
### Group A

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Gokulam Kerala (C) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 5 | +48 | 19 | Qualification for Knockout stage and 2023–24 Indian Women's League |
| 2 | Sports Odisha | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 13 | −2 | 13 | Qualification for Knockout stage and 2023–24 Indian Women's League |
| 3 | East Bengal | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 13 | −1 | 13 | Qualification for Knockout stage and 2023–24 Indian Women's League |
| 4 | HOPS | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 12 | Qualification for Knockout stage and 2023–24 Indian Women's League |
| 5 | Misaka United | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 2 | +7 | 10 | |
| 6 | Mumbai Knights | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 18 | −11 | 10 | |
| 7 | Mata Rukmani | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 18 | −18 | 1 | |
| 8 | Kahaani | 7 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 31 | −30 | 1 | |

#### Matches
### Group B

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Sethu | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 2 | +23 | 17 | Qualification for Knockout stage and 2023–24 Indian Women's League |
| 2 | Kickstart | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 2 | +28 | 16 | Qualification for Knockout stage and 2023–24 Indian Women's League |
| 3 | Odisha | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 2 | +26 | 16 | Qualification for Knockout stage and 2023–24 Indian Women's League |
| 4 | Eastern Sporting Union | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 10 | +2 | 15 | Qualification for Knockout stage and 2023–24 Indian Women's League |
| 5 | CRPF | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 26 | −17 | 7 | |
| 6 | Celtic Queens | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 25 | −20 | 4 | |
| 7 | Lords FA | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 24 | −13 | 3 | |
| 8 | Churchill Brothers | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 35 | −29 | 3 | |

#### Matches
## Knockout stage
### Bracket

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| B2 | Kickstart | 2 | | | | | | |
| A4 | HOPS | 1 | | | | | | |
| A4 | HOPS | 1 | QF1 | Kickstart | 2 | | | |
| | | | QF3 | Sethu | 0 | | | |
| B1 | Sethu | 9 | QF3 | Sethu | 0 | | | |
| A3 | East Bengal | 0 | | | | | | |
| A3 | East Bengal | 0 | | | | SF1 | Kickstart | 0 |
| | | | | | | SF2 | Gokulam Kerala | 5 |
| A2 | Sports Odisha | 1 (2) | | | | | | | SF2 | Gokulam Kerala | 5 |
| B4 | Eastern Sporting Union | 1 (4) | | | | | | |
| B4 | Eastern Sporting Union | 1 (4) | QF2 | Eastern Sporting Union | 1 | | | |
| | | | QF4 | Gokulam Kerala | 5 | | | |
| A1 | Gokulam Kerala | 1 (3) | QF4 | Gokulam Kerala | 5 | | | |
| B3 | Odisha | 1 (0) | | | | | | |

### Final
## Season statistics
### Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Sabitra Bhandari | Gokulam Kerala | 29 |
| 2 | Kajol D'Souza | Sethu | 10 |
| 3 | Indumathi Kathiresan | Gokulam Kerala | 9 |
| 3 | Sandhiya Ranganathan | Gokulam Kerala | 9 |
| 5 | Camille Rodriguez | Lords FA | 8 |
| 6 | Kioko Elizabeth Katungwa | Kickstart | 7 |
| 6 | Saru Limbu | Kickstart | 7 |
| 6 | Apurna Narzary | Sethu | 7 |
| 9 | Laishram Bibicha Devi | Kickstart | 6 |
| 9 | Bala Devi | Odisha | 6 |
| Source: The AIFF ||||

### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Sabitra Bhandari | Gokulam Kerala | East Bengal | 2–8 (A) | 26 April 2023 |
| Camille Rodriguez | Lords FA | Celtic Queens | 4–0 (H) | 27 April 2023 |
| Kajol D'Souza | Sethu | Churchill Brothers | 6–0 (A) | 28 April 2023 |
| Sabitra Bhandari | Gokulam Kerala | Sports Odisha | 8–1 (H) | 29 April 2023 |
| Kaviya Pakkirisamy | Kickstart | Churchill Brothers | 10–0 (H) | 3 May 2023 |
| Sandhiya Ranganathan | Gokulam Kerala | Kahaani | 14–1 (H) | 6 May 2023 |
| Sabitra Bhandari | Gokulam Kerala | Kahaani | 14–1 (H) | 6 May 2023 |
| Sabitra Bhandari | Gokulam Kerala | Mata Rukmani | 9–0 (A) | 9 May 2023 |
| Sabitra Bhandari | Gokulam Kerala | Mumbai Knights | 11–1 (H) | 12 May 2023 |
| Apurna Narzary | Sethu | East Bengal | 9–0 (H) | 16 May 2023 |

#### Notes

* (H) – Home team
* (A) – Away team

### Clean sheets

| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
| 1 | Maibam Linthoingambi Devi | Kickstart | 6 |
| 1 | Anjila Tumbapo Subba | Sethu | 6 |
| 3 | Nurul Azurin Mazlan | Misaka United | 5 |
| 4 | Shreya Hooda | Odisha | 4 |
| 5 | Elangbam Panthoi Chanu | Eastern Sporting Union | 3 |
| 5 | Beatrice Ntiwaa Nketia | Gokulam Kerala | 3 |
| 5 | Anshika | HOPS | 3 |

## Awards
### Match awards

Player of the Match :
| Match No. | Player | Club | Match No. | Player | Club | Match No. | Player | Club |
| Match 1 | Lalrinmuani | Kickstart | Match 22 | Ivy Faith Atieno | Sethu | Match 43 | Sabitra Bhandari | Gokulam Kerala |
| Match 2 | Anju | Sports Odisha | Match 23 | Kaviya Pakkirisamy | Kickstart | Match 44 | Neha | HOPS |
| Match 3 | Mansi Anant Samre | Mumbai Knights | Match 24 | Neha Mann | CRPF | Match 45 | Saniya | Churchill Brothers |
| Match 4 | Sabitra Bhandari | Gokulam Kerala | Match 25 | Rimpa Haldar | East Bengal | Match 46 | Prameshwori Devi | Eastern Sporting Union |
| Match 5 | Mandakini Devi | Eastern Sporting Union | Match 26 | Nurul Azurin Mazlan | Misaka United | Match 47 | Anju Tamang | Odisha |
| Match 6 | Camille Rodriguez | Lords FA | Match 27 | Manisha Naik | Sports Odisha | Match 48 | Laishram Bibicha Devi | Kickstart |
| Match 7 | Grace Hauhnar | Odisha | Match 28 | Santosh | HOPS | Match 49 | Aarti Banwari | Kahaani |
| Match 8 | Kajol D'Souza | Sethu | Match 29 | Lynda Kom | Odisha | Match 50 | Ratna Halder | East Bengal |
| Match 9 | Priyanka | Mumbai Knights | Match 30 | Priyangka Devi | Sethu | Match 51 | Nisilia Majaw | Misaka United |
| Match 10 | Renu Rani | HOPS | Match 31 | Astam Oraon | Kickstart | Match 52 | Sabitra Bhandari | Gokulam Kerala |
| Match 11 | Vivian Adjei | Gokulam Kerala | Match 32 | Kayenpaibam Anju Chanu | Celtic Queens | Match 53 | Laishram Bibicha Devi | Kickstart |
| Match 12 | Aarti Banwari | Kahaani | Match 33 | Sandhiya Ranganathan | Gokulam Kerala | Match 54 | Kayenpaibam Anju Chanu | Celtic Queens |
| Match 13 | Kamala Devi | Eastern Sporting Union | Match 34 | Karishma Shirvoikar | Mumbai Knights | Match 55 | Lhingneilam Kipgen | Eastern Sporting Union |
| Match 14 | Kioko Elizabeth Katungwa | Kickstart | Match 35 | Renu Rani | HOPS | Match 56 | Jasoda Munda | Odisha |
| Match 15 | Sumati Kumari | Sethu | Match 36 | Sunalinda Lawren | Misaka United | Match 57 | Dalima Chhibber | Kickstart |
| Match 16 | Neha Mann | CRPF | Match 37 | Astam Oraon | Kickstart | Match 58 | Lhingneikim | Eastern Sporting Union |
| Match 17 | Hemam Shilky Devi | Gokulam Kerala | Match 38 | Muskan Subba | Sethu | Match 59 | Apurna Narzary | Sethu |
| Match 18 | Lavanya Upadhyay | Misaka United | Match 39 | Kamala Devi | Eastern Sporting Union | Match 60 | Beatrice Ntiwaa Nketia | Gokulam Kerala |
| Match 19 | Sanfida Nongrum | Sports Odisha | Match 40 | Bala Devi | Odisha | Match 61 | W. Linthoingambi Devi | Kickstart |
| Match 20 | Rimpa Haldar | East Bengal | Match 41 | Lucy Kwekwe Jira | Misaka United | Match 62 | Indumathi Kathiresan | Gokulam Kerala |
| Match 21 | Jasoda Munda | Odisha | Match 42 | Mousumi Murmu | East Bengal | Match 63 | Sabitra Bhandari | Gokulam Kerala |

### Season awards

| Award | Winner |
| Hero of the League | Indumathi Kathiresan (Gokulam Kerala) |
| Top Goalscorer | Sabitra Bhandari (Gokulam Kerala) |
| Best Goalkeeper | Maibam Linthoingambi Devi (Kickstart) |
| Best Defender | K. Ngopawdi (Sethu) |
| Emerging Player of the League | Astam Oraon (Kickstart) |