Mumbai Knights FC suffered their first loss in the Indian Women's League 2023 as they went down 4-2 against East Bengal FC. Coming into this match Mumbai Knights had drawn their previous game by 0-0 while East Bengal FC had won 2-0 IN IWL 2023.

Head coach Rutuja made a few changes to the lineup and formation as Mumbai Knights started with a back five of Pranita, Ritu, Afreen, Nidhi And VK Srutilakshmi. Nidhi came into the starting XI as Mansi missed out on yesterday's game. Kashmira once again started in goal for Mumbai Knights.

Velanie and Karen started in midfield behind the front three of Bhumika, Priyanka and Karishma.

East Bengal FC ran away with the match in the first half scoring three goals. Rimpa Halder scored the first goal around the half-hour mark. Tulsi Hembram made it 2-0 in the 37th minute. Mousumi Murmu made it 3-0 in the 43rd minute to establish a mammoth 3-0 lead.

Namrata Thakur came on in the 41st minute for VK Srutilakshmi and Sushmita Jadhav came on in place of Velanie Fernandes in the 54th minute. Mumbai Knights looked to establish balance as they had a huge task of turning this around.

But it was Rimpa Halder who scored her second of the match in the 55th minute making it 4-0 in favour of East Bengal FC.

Priyanka scored her second goal of the tournament to pull one back for Mumbai Knights in the 65th minute. Namrata halved the deficit by scoring in the 83rd minute.

East Bengal FC sealed all three points and leapfrog Mumbai Knights FC into second place in Group A.

Mumbai Knights have a day to reflect on this loss and bounce on Saturday when they take on Sports Odisha in IWL 2023.

East Bengal FC cemented their status as IWL 2024-25 champions with a commanding 3-0 victory over Gokulam Kerala FC at the East Bengal ground on Friday.

Already assured of the title before kickoff, the Red and Golds showcased their supremacy by defeating every team in the league en route to the championship, with all three goals coming in an explosive first half.

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The star of the show was Elshaddai Acheampong, who opened the scoring in the 27th minute. After missing earlier chances, including a header from five yards in the 19th minute, the Ghanaian forward made amends with a clinical finish, chipping the goalkeeper after a deft move past defenders following a pass from Anju Tamang.

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Her poacher’s instinct shone again in the 37th minute, tapping in a cross from Karthika Angamuthu at the back post to double the lead. Minutes before halftime, Soumya Guguloth sealed the rout in the 42nd minute, rounding the keeper to score after a perfectly timed through ball.

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Despite the title already in hand, East Bengal displayed remarkable professionalism, dominating possession and stifling Gokulam from the outset. The second half saw Gokulam mount a brief challenge, testing goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu with a long-range effort, but the champions held firm. This win marked the only team East Bengal had yet to beat this season, completing a flawless campaign.

The victory underscored East Bengal’s dominance throughout the season, blending skill, composure, and relentless attacking play.

For Gokulam, the defeat highlighted their struggle against the league’s top side, as East Bengal celebrated a perfect end to their triumphant IWL 2024-25 journey.

East Bengal commenced their Indian Women's League (IWL) 2024-25 season with a commendable 2- 0 victory over Kickstart FC at the historic East Bengal Ground on 10th January 2025. Two brilliant goals scored by Sandhya Ranganathan and Resty Nanzary are enough to take three points for the Red and Gold brigade.

The home side's first goal materialized by another regular starter for India Soumya Guguloth played a crucial role in that goal. She delivered a ball from the right for Sulanjana Raul, whose header struck the crossbar. The rebound was found by Sandhya Ranganathan, who netted it with a beautiful header.

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Maintaining their momentum, East Bengal doubled their lead early in the second half. In the 49th minute, Ugandan recruit Resty Nanzari, made a beautiful run from the left side of the pitch and showcased her skill by delivering a precise low shot into the near post, and securing a goal. That was enough to start a season with a commendable victory for the home side.

Kickstart FC, originating from Bengaluru, attempted to penetrate East Bengal's defence but struggled to create promising opportunities in the attacking third. The host's defence was rock solid and effectively neutralized a clean sheet to start their IWL campaign on a positive note.

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The victory provided East Bengal with a solid foundation for positive progress in the IWL season, they were rock solid in defence and also offensively great. Conversely, Kickstart FC will aim to enhance their strategies in the upcoming matches to rebound from the initial setback. 

The All India Football Federation has released the tentative schedule for the 2024-25 edition of Indian Women's League. Scheduled to be kicked off on 10 January 2025, IWL 2024-25 is going to be the eighth edition of the premier division of women's football league in India. 

8 teams are set to participate in the IWL 2024-25, 6 teams from last season, and two teams that achieved their promotion to the IWL from the IWL 2.

From Complete fixtures to the participating teams, here is everything you need to know about the upcoming edition of the Indian Women's League for the 2024-25 season. 

Teams to participate in the IWL 2024-25

6 out of the 7 participating teams from last season will feature in this edition, as Sports Odisha withdrew themselves from the tournament. The two promoted teams from the IWL 2, Sreebhumi Football Club and Nita Football Academy are the new inclusions this season.  

• Odisha FC Women 

• Gokulam Kerala FC

• Kickstart FC

• Sethu FC

• HOPS FC

• East Bengal FC

• Sreebhumi Football Club

• Nita Football Academy 

Teams to watch this season

1. Odisha FC Women 

Odisha FC Women have already created history as they became the first-ever Indian Club to play in a Champions League group game. They started their AFC WCL preliminary stage campaign against Singapore's Lion City Sailors with a 4-1 victory over them. Coach Crispin Chhetri and his team etched themselves in history by being the first-ever Indian team to qualify for the Champions League group stage with a 2-1 victory against Jordan's top-flight Champions, Etihad Club. 

However, the journey for Odisha FC Women in the AFC Women's Champions League 2024-25 ended up in quite a nightmare as they got knocked out from the group stage after losing all three group games and conceding 24 goals in total! Odisha FC Women faced the worst defeat in their history in the very first game of the WCL as the defending Asian Champions, Urawa Reds Ladies crushed Odisha by 17-0. 

Read Also | Odisha FC crowned IWL 2023-24 Champions after a near-perfect season

But it will be a different story in the IWL because Odisha FC Women will take the field as the defending champions. They finished at the top of the IWL 2023-24 table, winning 10 games out of 12 and collecting 31 points to be crowned Champions.

𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 👑@OdishaFCW are crowned Indian Women’s League Champions after a fantastic season filled with dominant performances! 🤩🙌🏻#IWL 🏆 #ShePower 👧 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/acyvchFglI

— I-League (@ILeague_aiff) March 24, 2024

Odisha FC Women scored a total of 31 goals in the tournament while conceding only 4. The Indian Champions will be one of the teams to watch as they will give their all to resist every calamity to defend and retain their title. 

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2. Gokulam Kerala FC 

Gokulam Kerala FC is the most successful Women's football club in Indian football with 3 IWL titles won in 2019-20, 2021-22, and 2022-23. They were also the runner-up last season with 29 points in 12 matches. Gokulam Women won 9 out of the 12 games and scored a staggering 33 goals in total. 

Thankful to the almighty ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0uVBrskHAi

— Fazila Ikwaput (@FazilaIkwaput) March 26, 2024

Gokulam missed out on the Championship by just two points and they will bounce back stronger this season. Gokulam's Forward Fazila Ikwaput became the highest goalscorer of the IWL 2024-25 with 13 goals, and this Ugandan international will again be donning Gokulam's shirt. 

Hemam Shilky Devi will again lead Gokulam's defence who was officially named the Best Defender of last season. Soumya Guguloth and Sandhiya Ranganathan who scored 7 and 6 goals last season respectively will again play for the title this season. 

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Previous Winners 

Complete Fixtures 

Indumathi Kathiresan, Shilky Devi, and Shreya Hooda won the IWL 2023-24 best midfielder, defender and goalkeeper awards respectively as Odisha FC claimed their maiden Indian Women's League title and Gokulam Kerala finished runners up. Meanwhile, Fazila Ikwaput with 13 goals in the season won the best striker award.

This is the second consecutive year that Indian star midfielder Indumathi Kathiresan made it to the awards list. Last year, playing for the Gokulam Kerala Indumathi was awarded the best player of the tournament. This year, after a stunning season with her new team Odisha FC, she won the Best Midfielder of the tournament award. 

Along with her, Odisha FC goalkeeper Shreya Hooda claimed the best goalkeeper of the  IWL 2023-24 award with nine clean sheets in 12 matches for the Kalinga Warriors. “I am so happy to come up with a good performance this season. I want to thank my coaches, support staff, teammates and especially Odisha FC for believing in me. I am grateful to all for this opportunity this season and it all happened because of my team. I want to dedicate this award to my defenders," Shreya told AIFF.

Read Also: Odisha FC crowned IWL 2023-24 Champions after near perfect season

Meanwhile, Shikly Devi was one of the key players for Gokulam Kerala FC as they finished nearly toe-to-toe with Odisha to become the runners-up of the season. Shily since appearing for the Indian U-17 Women's team in the FIFA Women's U17 World Cup has come up the ranks to prove her metal.

While Shikly was a key hold at the back, Fazila Ikwaput was at her meanest for the Gokulam Kerala team at the front. Fazila Ikwaput, the Ugandan recruit of the most successful team in IWL history, scored 13 goals in the whole tournament to win the best striker of the tournament award.

IWL 2023-24 awards:

Winners: Odisha FC (Rs 10,00,000)

Runners-up: Gokulam Kerala FC (Rs 5,00,000)

Best Match Organisation: Sports Odisha (Rs 50,000)

Participating Club with The Best Media Operations: Odisha FC (Rs 50,000)

Best Striker (13 goals): Fazila Ikwaput – Gokulam Kerala FC (Rs 50,000)

Best Goalkeeper: Shreya Hooda – Odisha FC (Rs 50,000)

Best Defender: Hemam Shilky Devi – Gokulam Kerala FC (Rs 50,000)

Best Midfielder: Indumathi Kathiresan – Odisha FC (Rs 50,000)

Odisha FC were crowned the Indian Women's League (IWL) 2023-24 Champions after a near-perfect season for the Juggernauts. With a dominating 6-0 win over Kickstart FC at the Kalinga Stadium in the last game of the season, Odisha FC claimed their maiden IWL title on Sunday. Former India U-17 captain Lynda Kom scored a scintillating hat-trick while Pyari Xaxa scored a brace to give them a huge win in the last game of the season. Odisha finished with 31 points in 12 games with only 1 defeat in the whole season.

With their nearest rivals and the defending champions Gokulam Kerala playing a game simultaneously against East Bengal, Odisha FC knew they could not let anything happen on the final day of the season. A win against Kickstart FC would have meant that even a win for Gokulam Kerala could not stop them from winning the IWL 2023-24 title.

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Pyari and Lynda scored three in the first half

Filled with many national team stars, Odisha were in no mood to let their fans leave the stadium empty-handed. Two goals within the first 13 minutes would mean they meant business from the word go. Lynda Kom opened the gate for them with a perfect pass from Win Theingi Tun in the 11th minute. Two minutes later, Lynda became the assist provider for Pyari Xaxa for the second goal of the match. In the 22nd minute, Pyari found the net again for the third goal of the match. 

Lynda's remarkable hat trick in the second half

Kickstart FC would look dejected even with a formidable defence and there was more to come for them. Karthika Angamuthu scored one of the best goals of the season with a left-footed stunner from around 22 yards in the 58th minute. With a 4-0 lead, the Odisha FC fans were already thumping in joy with their typical drums in action. Lynda then scored her second in the 66th minute and then went on the complete a remarkable hat-trick in the 77th minute to earn the Player of the Match award.

Though Gokulam Kerala won their fixture against East Bengal FC by 5-1; they had to be satisfied with the second position with 29 points after 12 games. Meanwhile, Kickstart FC finished just behind them with 21 points. Fazila Ikwaput of Gokulam Kerala was the top scorer of the tournament with 13 goals against her name.