The ninth season of the Indian Super League welcomed crowds in all league games for the first times after two years as Indian football saw another successful this year.
Having started in 2014, it was the first season for the ISL to be recognised as the premier division of football in the country. Mumbai City FC kept an unbeaten streak until winning the League Winners Shield but eventually lost to Bengaluru FC and East Bengal to miss out on the ‘invincible’ tag.
Defending Champions Hyderabad FC, on the other hand, finished second in the league stage. Manolo Marquez’s side kept chase with Mumbai for most of the season, but had to contend with the second position, which though gives them an advantage in the knockout stage.
Bengaluru FC’s remarkable turned around, capped with a nine-game winning run, saw it move up to third place in the league, giving it the privilege of playing at home in the knockout playoff.
ATK Mohun Bagan and Kerala Blasters looked like they could threaten the duopoly of Hyderabad and Mumbai, but had to settle for a playoff spot, thanks to its topsy-turvy form.
Odisha FC survived a mid-season slump to make it to the play-off for the first time.
FC Goa had only itself to blame as it failed to beat Bengaluru in its last game, where a win would have opened the playoff doors for it.
East Bengal and Chennaiyin FC looked potent when things worked out for them. Unfortunately for them, the sparks were sporadic as it failed well short of the playoff spots.
Jamshedpur FC and NorthEast United FC round up the table, with the Highlanders recording the worst season by a team in ISL with five points and just one win.
ISL Points table:
| Position | Team Name | Played | Win | Draw | Loss | GD | Points |
| 1 | Mumbai City FC (Q) | 20 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 33 | 46 |
| 2 | Hyderabad FC (Q) | 19 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 19 | 39 |
| 3 | ATK Mohun Bagan | 20 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 34 |
| 4 | Bengaluru FC (Q) | 20 | 11 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 34 |
| 5 | Kerala Blasters (Q) | 19 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 31 |
| 6 | Odisha FC | 20 | 9 | 3 | 8 | -2 | 30 |
| 7 | FC Goa | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 27 |
| 8 | Chennaiyin FC | 20 | 7 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 27 |
| 9 | Jamshedpur FC | 20 | 5 | 4 | 11 | -11 | 19 |
| 9 | East Bengal FC | 20 | 6 | 1 | 13 | -16 | 19 |
| 11 | NorthEast United FC | 20 | 1 | 2 | 17 | -35 | 5 |