IWL season round-up: Clinical Odisha FC clinch their maiden title

Indian Women's League (IWL), India's premier women's club football league, has taken one step forward this season with a increase in the viewership, craze, competition and quality of matches after the introduction of a home-away format.

The league had only seven teams but still gave some top class matches and a fierce battle for title between the three teams. The winner of the league has also decided on the final matchday. The average goal per match average was 2.9 which was way less than the last season's 4.16, this shows the improved competitiveness of the league.

Odisha FC women team, who shown some good quality on the pitch this season, has came out as a clear winner of the league toppling the three time defending champions, Gokulam Kerala. This was also their maiden IWL title.

Here, The Bridge, is looking at few of such highlights of the season and the players who shone this season:

Odisha FC - The Champions

Odisha FC women team was the talk of the town this season, their young squad has shown some amazing skills and good quality of football. This title is also very special for them as they will represent India at the first-ever AFC Women's Champions League.

They scored 31 goals in 12 matches to amass 31 points from the season. They conceded more than one goal, in just one of these 12 matches. Pyari Xaxa was the leading goal scorer for the team with 8 goals.

Myanmar's striker Win Theingi Tun also helped them in attack with her 7 goals with the help from Indumathi in midfield. While, last year emerging star Astam Oraon led the defencive duty on her shoulders.

Gokulam Kerala - Runners-up

Three time defending champions, Gokulam Kerala, had a terrific end to the season with a winning run of seven straight games including a 2-1 win over eventual champions, Odisha FC, but their early mistakes in the season hampered their chances of defending the title.

Fazila Ikwaput, the Uganda international, played the key role for them in this turn around in the second half the season. She joined the gokulam camp mid-season and scored 13 goals in just nine matches to bamboozle the defences.

They scored 20 goals in the last 6 matches which was their problem in the early half of the season where they failed to score a single goal in three of their six games of the first half. This was a major setback for the team who dominated the leagues over the years.

Top Scorer - Fazila Ikwaput

Fazila Ikwaput of Goukalam Kerala won the Golden Boot Award, she outclassed many top strikers of the league and was the only player to score ten plus goals despite coming late in the league.

She scored 13 goals in just nine matches and was the key player for Gokulam Kerala who was regularly pushing Odisha FC in their title run. She also scored two hattricks this season again East Bengal FC and Sports Odisha.

Most Clean Sheet - Shreya Hooda

The India-international, Shreya Hooda won the golden glove award this season, she was the main custodian in the Odisha's defence, her ball distribution also helps them to build the attack.

She has conceded only 4 goals this season with nine cleansheets in 12 matches. The 24-year old is currently the first choice goalkeeper of Indian National team having 10+international caps including Asian Games last year.

Rising Youngsters - Lynda Kom, Karishma Shirvoikar

This season has provide a host of upcoming players being it Sabani devi, Kajol Dsouza or Malati Munda. But few of Indian nationals like- Lynda Kom, Karishma Shirvoikar gained the most of the limelight this season.

Lynda Kom has played 11 matches this season for Odisha FC and scored six goals, she was a crucial member of the teams forward line and offers a lot of threat to the opponent team with her speedy run from the flanks.

Karishma was the leading goalscorer for the Kickstart FC team, she scores 8 goals in 12 matches and was leading the goal scores list at one time but in the last few matches of the season she wasn't up to her best, which also derailed kickstart's title quest.