IWL 2023-24: Kickstart, Odisha FC Force Defending Champions Gokulam Kerala To Take A Backseat

Gokulam Kerala FC: Kickstart FC and Odisha FC emerged as the new frontrunners with a hundred percent record at the end of three rounds of the Indian Women’s League 2023-24 season.

The biggest talking point from the opening three rounds is that defending champions Gokulam Kerala FC are yet to find the form that powered them to the last three successive titles.

The Kalinga Warriors’ monumental 2-0 victory over Gokulam Kerala last week was perhaps the most eye-catching result in the recent seasons of the Indian Women's League (IWL). Losing for the first time in 29 matches over four years, the defeat must feel like a big blow to the title aspirations of the team from Malabar, despite coming so early in the season.

For Odisha, the win was about more than just three points. There was a sense of redemption after that heart-breaking shoot-out loss to the Malabarians in last season’s quarterfinals. Goalkeeper Shreya Hooda stood out in Bhubaneswar, as each of her saves added up to a well-deserved clean sheet.

Pyari Xaxa and Lynda Kom Serto did their job up front with two crucial goals. Everything eased up some pain from May’s defeat in Ahmedabad. But head coach Crispin Chettri and co. will know there’s a long way to go if they are to grab their first IWL crown.

On the other hand, there are a lot of questions that Gokulam gaffer Anthony Andrews needs to answer. The brief winter break may have come at a good time for his side. A team that pumped in 64 goals last season, has scored only one in three games in this campaign. They will have to make that right as they take on Sports Odisha and Kickstart in their next two games on home turf.

Expectedly, the home-and-away system has spiced things up a notch. Kickstart are enjoying their solid run at the Bangalore Football Stadium. Odisha FC’s first-ever home game at the Kalinga Stadium was a memorable one, to say the least. East Bengal may have lost 2-4 to Sethu, but the atmosphere created by their ardent fans at the East Bengal Ground scripted a new chapter in Indian women’s football. Never before had the IWL been witness to such animated support.

On the pitch, the one who’s stealing the limelight is Kickstart’s Karishma Shirvoikar. The youngster has been simply unstoppable, netting six out of her side’s eight goals so far, giving herself an early shout of becoming the first Indian to win the IWL Golden Boot since Ngangom Bala Devi in 2018-19.

Unlike Kickstart, Odisha FC haven’t been dependent on one player so far. Their six goals have been scored by five different players, with only Myanmar’s Win Theingi Tun netting more than once. India’s youth internationals Nongmeikapam Sibani Devi and Sulanjana Raul have been turning on the heat for East Bengal, scoring two goals each.

The only team missing in the ‘goals conversation’ is HOPS FC. The capital side is yet to find the net in their first two games at the Ambedkar Stadium, losing to Kickstart and Gokulam Kerala. Sports Odisha are the other side yet to register a point, but things won’t get any easier for them as they travel to Kozhikode in their first game of the New Year.