Indian Women's League 2023 to Get Underway From April 25, Competition to Have 16 Teams Split Into Two Groups: AIFF

New Delhi, Mar 27: The next edition of the Indian Women's League (IWL) will kick start on April 25, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) decided during its League Committee meeting on Monday. AIFF also decided to allow teams to recruit three foreign players with a maximum of two allowed on the field at a time. The meeting was chaired by Lalnghinglova Hmar over video conferencing on Monday. Secretary General Shaji Prabhakaran was present in the meeting, along with committee members M Satyanarayan, Kiran Chowgule, Reginold Varghese, Amit Chaudhuri and Caitanno Fernandes. AIFF Unveils Strategic Roadmap 'Vision 2047' With Goal of Making India One of Asia's Top Footballing Nations.

"The Committee, in its first order of the day, decided that the Hero Indian Women's League shall start from April 25, 2023," AIFF said in a release.

"The Committee took this decision to ensure there was enough gap between the Hero IWL and the Hero 27th Senior Women's National Football Championships 2022-23. "...the Committee took a decision to increase the number of foreigners to three, with a maximum of two allowed on the pitch at the same time. This was considered after clubs had requested the same."  AFC Asian Cup 2023 Draw Dates Announced, Indian Football Team Set to Know Group Stage Oppositions On May 11.

In IWL, 16 teams will be split into two groups. The top four teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stage. The top eight sides will get direct slots in next season's Hero IWL, which will be played on a home-and-away format. The committee also decided to include East Bengal in the IWL this season after much deliberation, in the interest of developing and growing the league. The IFA had requested that East Bengal be considered for inclusion this season.

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