Chennaiyin FC to host Atletico de Kolkata in ISL 2015 opener

Mumbai: Chennaiyin FC will host the opener of the second season of the Indian Super League (ISL), as the hosts will take on defending champions Atletico de Kolkata at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 3, said a release on Friday.

The promoters of the ISL, Football Sports Development Ltd. -- a joint venture between IMG, Reliance Industries and Star India -- on Friday announced the fixtures for its second season, featuring 61 games spread across 79 days.

The league stage will witness 56 games in a home and away format, followed by two-legged semi-finals starting December 11 with the 'Super Sunday' final scheduled on December 20 at a pre-decided venue to be announced at a later date.

After the opener in Chennai, the action will then move to Goa the next day with FC Goa pitted against Delhi Dynamos FC, while fans in Mumbai will witness the 'Maharashtra derby' on October 5 when Mumbai City FC lock horns with FC Pune City at the D.Y. Patil Stadium.

The ISL bandwagon will reach Kerala on October 6, when last year’s runners-up Kerala Blasters FC play their first home fixture against NorthEast United FC.

The newly laid pitch at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata will be put to test for its first big night when Atletico tussle with arch rivals Goa on October 7. Dynamos, Pune and United FC will host their first home matches on October 8, 9 and 16 respectively.

ISL’s first edition saw participation of footballers from 36 varied nationalities, including India. The globally viewed tournament had a whopping 129 goals scored at an average of 2.11 goals per game.

Over 1.5 million fans made their way to eight city based club’s home stadiums to witness this unrivalled footballing event unfold. The inaugural season of the ISL was watched by 429 million viewers on Television in India, more than 2.5 times of the viewership of 2014 FIFA World Cup.