Gokulam Kerala to kick off Indian Football League, the rebranded I-League, on Friday

Indian men's football's rebranded second division, the Indian Football League (IFL), will kick off on Friday, with Kerala's only representative, Gokulam Kerala, in action. IFL is the new name given to the I-League.

Kozhikode-based Gokulam will begin their campaign against Chanmari FC in Aizawl, with the match scheduled to start at 6.30 pm.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced on the eve of the season opener that IFL will be broadcast on DD Sports. Besides, IFL matches can also be streamed live on the Waves App, Prasar Bharati's streaming platform.

"We are happy to state that the IFL season is kicking off, and we have Doordarshan as the broadcast partners for the league," said AIFF Deputy Secretary M Satyanarayan. "Last season, the title race went right down to the final day, and we hope this year, it will be just as exciting."

The I-League (IFL) champions are guaranteed promotion to the Indian Super League (ISL), which is the first division. Kerala Blasters are the only club from the state in the ISL. Gokulam won the I-League twice before an AIFF roadmap guaranteeing promotion to the winners kicked in.

Goan tactician Derrick Pereira is the head coach of Gokulam. The club has made a host of changes this season, but has a strong local presence with 12 Malayali players featuring in the squad. There are five foreigners in the side, including Brazilian striker John Kennedy and Lesotho forward Thabiso Brown.

After the opener in Aizawl, Gokulam have a stretch of five home matches to be played at the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri, starting with a match against Namdhari FC on March 7.