The seventh season of the Indian Women’s League was historic in all ways possible. Not only was the competition conducted in a proper league format, with home and away matches, but it also crowned a new champion after years of dominance by Gokulam Kerala. Odisha FC lifted their first title in a pulsating season to be the fourth different winner of the IWL. Last season’s success has prompted more clubs to invest significantly in women’s football, not just Odisha FC and Gokulam Kerala, making the 2024-25 campaign unmissable. The delayed new season will start on 10 January 2025 with every possibility the title race will involve more than two clubs among the eight participating.
Full Schedule: IWL 2024-25 Full Schedule
Top contenders for the title in the IWL 2024-25 season:
Kickstart FC
Kickstart FC has been a notable force since entering the IWL 2019-20 season with their best achievement reaching the final in 2023. The Bangalore-based side also finished third last season behind the two-horse race for the title, Gokulam Kerala and Odisha FC. Kickstart finished 10 points away from the top spot but they were head and shoulders above the rest of the chasing packs, showing their potential again. The 2024-25 season brings a new belief for the team to clinch the title they eagerly desire having also won their sixth straight Karnataka Women’s League. However, the competition will be extreme with the other contenders strengthening themselves. In the third season under Langam Chaoba Devi, the side will go on with an all-Indian squad this time after making promising introductions to the team such as multiple IWL winners Sanju Yadav and Dangmei Grace.
Adding those experienced national teamers with existing stars like Karishma Shirvoikar, the joint-top Indian goalscorer in the IWL last season, might be just what Kickstart needed to step up this season captained by Dalima Chibber. It is left to see if Chaoba Devi’s side could manage the prime favourites for the title, who will have top-class foreigners alongside the national team stars, to cause a surprise.
Gokulam Kerala
It was heartbreaking for Gokulam Kerala to lose their three-year dominance on the title last season despite taking the race to the final day. The Malabarians lost for the first time in four years to the eventual champions Odisha FC, losing their title defence by just two points. They also had to let go of their trophy-laden coach Anthony Andrews who went for a new challenge. Like last time the team also lost some key players like the influential trio of Soumya Guguloth, Anju Tamang and Sandhiya Ranganathan. Despite not having a celebratory year again in 2024, the side is determined to reclaim its crown in the new season retaining some of their best-performing stars with promising new additions. One of them is Catherine Aringo who joins after ending as the top scorer in Vickers Queens’ promotion to the top division of the Kenya women’s football league. She joins an already power-packed frontline containing last season’s Golden Boot winner Fazila Ikwaput with 13 goals. Hence, even after losing a lot of assets of their title-winning squad, the three-time IWL champions Gokulam still possess a lot of qualities to make a successful title run.
Odisha FC
Odisha FC got what they wanted in only their second IWL season after their ambitious move of constructing a top-quality squad paid off last summer. The Juggernauts made history by toppling Gokulam’s supremacy to win the IWL title for the first time, being the best team in winning, scoring and keeping clean sheets last season. They will pursue the dream of creating their own legacy now of asserting their dominance in the league by becoming only the second side in IWL history to defend the title successfully. That will be a difficult task considering they lost some key players from their title-winning campaign including Indumathi Kathiresan. With Gokulam also strengthening and new challengers for the title popping up, Odisha FC has to be extra careful this season but has built another classy squad to overcome them. The notable addition has been midfield star Kajol D’Souza who scored 14 goals in 18 appearances for former club Sethu FC. Ghanaian women’s team forward Jennifer Kankam Yeboah is an exciting player after her exploits with the side scoring the only goal in the AFC Women’s Champions League while the foreign centre-back duo Maryam Ibrahim and Eliane Bodolo. Coupled with top-scoring local girl Pyari Xaxa and starlet Lynda Kom, Odisha FC might be the team to beat again.
East Bengal
However, the most surprising name that could be attached to the title race is the East Bengal women’s team after they made revolutionary changes ahead of the 2024-25 season. The Red and Gold finished miserably in a second-last spot last season managing just one win from 12 games, suffering 10 losses, scoring merely eight goals and conceding joint-worst 31 times. It was not a good look for the side that has achieved notable successes in the past in the women’s division, not just the men’s. Such a forgetful campaign has prompted the club owners to seriously rethink their approach to the women’s team and invest heavily in the summer. Behaving as a big club this time, East Bengal unfolded remarkable signings by taking up the core contingent of Gokulam Kerala namely Sandhiya Ranganathan, Anju Tamang, Michel Castanha, captain Ashalata Devi and Soumya Guguloth while also securing recent IWL winners Sweety Devi, Karthika Angamuthu and Astam Oraon. The most incredible part of their transformation motive is appointing the two-time IWL winning coach Anthony Andrews. All these changes are set to make the club from a struggling outfit to a serious competitor for the title.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who are the top contenders for the IWL 2024-25 title?
The top contenders include defending champions Odisha FC, former champions Gokulam Kerala, consistent performers Kickstart FC, and a revamped East Bengal team.
When does the IWL 2024-25 season start?
The Indian Women’s League 2024-25 season begins on January 10, 2025, with eight teams competing in a home-and-away format.
Which team won the IWL 2023-24 season?
Odisha FC won the IWL 2023-24 season, breaking Gokulam Kerala's three-year dominance and becoming the fourth different champion in league history.
Who are the key players to watch in the IWL 2024-25 season?
Players like Fazila Ikwaput (Gokulam Kerala), Karishma Shirvoikar (Kickstart FC), and Kajol D’Souza (Odisha FC) are among the key stars to watch.
Which foreign players are set to make an impact in IWL 2024-25?
Players like Jennifer Kankam Yeboah (Odisha FC) and Catherine Aringo (Gokulam Kerala) are expected to make significant contributions this season.
