The inaugural season of the new Indian Super League club competition, which was due to start in January, has been postponed for eight months, reports Soccerex Business Daily. The league, which is being developed by IMG-Reliance - a joint venture between the IMG agency and Indian conglomerate Reliance - is now set to run in a permanent September to November window.
Organisers stated that the decision had been taken after consulting with pay-television broadcaster Star India, which acquired the rights for the league in a 10-year deal that included equity in the venture.
"All India Football Federation, its commercial partner IMG-Reliance and Star India held a meeting to discuss and evaluate scheduling of the Indian football properties, including I-League and the proposed Indian Super League," the organisers said in a statement.
"Keeping in view of the various key factors, including scheduling conflicts with the I-League and non-availability of stadium in Goa due to delay in Lusofonia Games, the committee has unanimously decided to launch the Indian Super League on a permanent window of September to November starting from year 2014."
The League will feature eight city-specific teams to start with, reportedly in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Kochi, Goa, Delhi, Pune and Bangalore.
