The 2022–23 Indian Women's League (also known as Hero Indian Women's League for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the Indian Women's League, the top division women'sprofessional football league in India.[1][2][3] On 21 May, Gokulam Kerala successfully defended their title by winning the final against Kickstart, and became the first club to complete a hat-trick of Indian Women's League titles.[4][5]
Format
The draw took place on 30 March 2023 at Football House, Dwarka, New Delhi.[6] Speaking at the draw, Shaji Prabhakaran, the All India Football Federation Secretary General, said "My best wishes to all the 16 teams ... all efforts have been made to create a holistic situation for the development and rapid growth of Indian women's football."[7][8]
Sixteen teams will participate in the league. The final round will consist of the group format with eight teams participating in each group. The top four teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stage.[9][10] The top eight teams of the season will receive direct slots for the next season of IWL.[11]
Broadcasting
On 25 April, 2023 All India Football Federation announced that the evening matches of Indian Women's League will be streamed live on Indian Football YouTube channel.[12]
Qualification
State women's leagues organised by various state federations acted as qualifier for this season. The champions of the twelve state leagues have been awarded a place in the final round along with the clubs which finished in the top four positions in the 2021–22 season.[13] The slot for the state league whose current champions also qualified via top four qualification, went to the runner-up of the league.
Updated to match(es) played on 4 May. Source: AIFF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) drawing of lots (C) Champions
Updated to match(es) played on 5 May. Source: AIFF Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) drawing of lots