Indian Super League (ISL) is going to do away with the opening ceremony this time as the Season 5 kick-off will have no Bollywood entertainment quotient.
The move is being seen as a drastic step by ISL that will make India’s premier football league a serious competition and strengthen its positions as the pinnacle of football in the Indian sub-continent.
Unlike the previous four editions that saw the opening ceremony graced by Bollywood celebrities to add that glitz and glamour element for attracting attention and eyeballs, the fifth edition will rather begin on a serious note, states a goal.com report.
With a full five-month schedule and the presence of 10 teams, expansion of the league window from two months to nearly five months last year, ISL is making a steady progress towards becoming a true world class football league.
Among the other significant moves, the global sports and talent management agency IMG too is out of the tri-partite ISL alliance between the Reliance Industries, IMG and Star Sports. Reliance Industries Limited and IMG had announced the equal joint venture in March 2010 that resulted in the formation of India’s leading marketing and sports management company to develop, market and manage sports and entertainment in India.
The venture, IMG Reliance Pvt. Ltd. had then joined hands with Star India and announced the ISL in 2013, which was launched with much fanfare a year later. Priyanka Chopra was the star performer in the inaugural ISL opening ceremony.
ISL season 5, featuring 12 rounds and 59 games, will kick-off on September 29 as the host and two-time champions ATK will take on Kerala Blasters FC at Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata.
