The 2019–20 Indian Women's League was the fourth season of the Indian Women's League, the top division women's professional football league in India. The league started from 24 January 2020 and ended on 14 February 2020 with Gokulam Kerala defeating Kryphsa 3-2 in the final to clinch the title for the first time. Twelve teams participated in the league. All the matches were played in Bangalore Football Stadium, Bengaluru.[1]
| Season | 2019–20 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 24 January – 14 February 2020 |
| Champions | Gokulam Kerala 1st IWL title 1st Indian title |
| AFC Women's Club Championship | Gokulam Kerala |
| Matches played | 33 |
| Goals scored | 123 (3.73 per match) |
| Best Player | Ratanbala Devi |
| Top goalscorer | Sabitra Bhandari (16 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | Linthoingambi Devi (5 cleansheets) |
| Longest winning run | Kryphsa Gokulam Kerala (5 matches, only league matches) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Kryphsa Gokulam Kerala (5 matches, only league matches) |
| Longest winless run | BBK Dav Bidesh XI (5 matches) |
| Longest losing run | Bidesh XI (5 matches) |
← 2018–19 All statistics correct as of 14 February 2022. | |
AFC Women's Club Championship
The winners of the 2020-21 season would originally get the chance to participate in 2021 edition of AFC Women's Club Championship. But as a backup it was thought if the season is unable to complete or cancelled before the start of the tournament which will be held from October 30 to November 14, the defending champions of 2019-20 season, Gokulam Kerala FC will qualify for the event.[2] Later on 15 July 2021, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) nominated Gokulam Kerala to represent India in the AFC Women’s Club Championship 2020–21 pilot tournament.[3]
Qualifiers
State women's leagues organized by various state federations acted as the qualifier this season. In addition to these, the Rest of India zone champions has been awarded a place in the final round.[4] Gokulam Kerala defeated FC Alakhpura 9–1 over two legs to secure a place in the Group stage.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gokulam Kerala | 9–1 | FC Alakhpura | 1–0 | 8–1 |
Teams
Bangalore United FC
Kickstart FC
Team locations
| Group A | State/UT | Group B | State/UT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baroda Football Academy | Baroda, Gujarat | Bangalore United FC | Bengaluru, Karnataka |
| BBK Dav FC | Amritsar, Punjab | Bidesh XI FC | Assonora, Goa |
| FC Kolhapur City | Kolhapur, Maharashtra | Odisha Police FC | Bhubaneswar, Odisha |
| Kickstart FC | Bengaluru, Karnataka | Kenkre FC | Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| KRYPHSA | Imphal, Manipur | Sreebhumi FC | Kolkata, West Bengal |
| Sethu | Madurai, Tamil Nadu | Gokulam Kerala | Kozhikode, Kerala |
Personnel
| Team | Head coach | Captain |
|---|---|---|
| Bangalore United FC |  Chitra Gangadharan | Amoolya Kamal |
| Baroda Football Academy | Muralidharan P | Priya Mistry |
| BBK Dav FC | Satpal Singh Kala | Shyama Rani |
| Bidesh XI FC | Joao Minino Rebello | Astrid Pereira |
| Gokulam Kerala | Priya P. V. | Michel Castanha |
| FC Kolhapur City | Muzamil Mahmood | Mrunal Khot |
| Kickstart FC | M Muruhuvedan | Manpreet |
| Kenkre FC | Kalpana Dass | Soumya Guguloth |
| KRYPHSA | Langam Chaoba Devi | Grace Dangmei |
| Odisha Police | Mohammad Shahid Jabbar | Karishma Oram |
| Sethu | Amrutha Arvind | Ashalata Devi |
| Sreebhumi FC | Barun Sengupta | Poli Koley |
Foreign players
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Bangalore United FC |  Tanvie Hans | |
| Baroda Football Academy | No player was signed | |
| BBK Dav FC | ||
| Bidesh XI FC | ||
| Gokulam Kerala |  Sabitra Bhandari |  Espérance Agbo |
| FC Kolhapur City | No player was signed | |
| Kickstart FC | ||
| Kenkre | ||
| KRYPHSA | ||
| Odisha Police FC | ||
| Sethu | Anita Basnet | |
| Sreebhumi FC | No player was signed | |
Final round
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KRYPHSA | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | +15 | 15 | Semi Final |
| 2 | Sethu | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 23 | 2 | +21 | 12 | |
| 3 | Kickstart FC | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 9 | |
| 4 | FC Kolhapur City | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 | −5 | 4 | |
| 5 | Baroda Football Academy | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 13 | −10 | 3 | |
| 6 | BBK Dav FC | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 21 | −20 | 1 |
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
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gokulam Kerala | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2 | +26 | 15 | Semi Final |
| 2 | Kenkre | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 14 | −1 | 12 | |
| 3 | Odisha Police FC | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 12 | −3 | 7 | |
| 4 | Sreebhumi | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 5 | |
| 5 | Bangalore United FC | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 4 | |
| 6 | Bidesh XI SC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 18 | −16 | 0 |
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
Knock–out stage
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semifinals | |||
| KRYPHSA | 3–1 | Kenkre | |
| Gokulam Kerala | 3–0 | Sethu | |
| Final | |||
| KRYPHSA | 2–3 | Gokulam Kerala | |
Season awards
The awards for the Hero Indian Women's League 2019–20 season:
| Award | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Top Scorer | Sabitra Bhandari (Gokulam Kerala Women) |
| Best Goalkeeper | Maibam Linthoingambi Devi (KRYPHSA FC) |
| Most Valuable Player | Nongmaithem Ratanbala Devi (KRYPHSA FC) |
| Emerging Player | Manisha Kalyan (Gokulam Kerala Women) |