Punjab FC will be in uncharted territory when the new Indian Super League (ISL) season kicks off later this year. As winners of the 2022-23 I-League season, they are the first club to earn promotion to what will be a 12-team ISL from the 2023-24 season onwards.
While Punjab dominated the previous edition of I-League with 52 points in 22 games — the next best was Sreenidi Deccan with 42 points – competing in the top tier of Indian football is certain to throw up many challenges.
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“There’s a fair amount of excitement about being at the ISL. The team deserved to play in the ISL after winning the I-League,” said Punjab FC owner Sunny Singh, an Indian-American entrepreneur, in an interaction here on Thursday. “It will take some time because we are adjusting from being in the I-League... We will have a lot of hiccups in the first year. We will probably struggle a little bit. That’s okay. We have a long-term programme. Being in the ISL was a natural evolution for us. Our focus is on developing young players for the country.”
While they are currently in the process of signing a bunch of new players to bolster their squad, Singh hasn’t set any targets or expectations from their debut ISL campaign.
{{/usCountry}}While they are currently in the process of signing a bunch of new players to bolster their squad, Singh hasn’t set any targets or expectations from their debut ISL campaign.
{{/usCountry}}“Our team will perform better in the second season. This year, they are rusty and getting to know each other. They have no targets to meet. There are no expectations. I just want the programme to keep getting better. We are never result-focused. As long as we are following a great programme and the players are having fun, I don’t care what the results are,” he said.
One aspect Singh will keep an eye on though is enabling a pathway for young players, particularly from Punjab. “It is imperative to have local talent. But I will not pick players from Punjab just because I have to pick them. They have to earn the right to be in the team. But being a club from Punjab, we must cultivate the talent here just like every state should. That’s imperative for the development of football in this country. But I will not compromise on the quality of the team. We have got to create an abundance of good players from Punjab. That will take 5-10 years. I want them to not just play for Punjab but for other clubs and for India.”