New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS): The 2023-24 I-League 2, featuring eight teams, is set to begin on January 20 and will be played on a home-and-away basis in a double round-robin format. The top two teams at the end of the league will be promoted to the 2024-25 I-League and the bottom two will be relegated to the 2024-25 I-League 3.

The eight teams include two clubs relegated from the 2022-23 I-League -- Mumbai Kenkre FC and Sudeva Delhi FC, three teams included from the 2022-23 I-League 2 Final Round -- FC Bengaluru United, United SC and The Oranje FC, formerly known as Ambernath United Atlanta FC, and three teams qualified from the 2024-25 I-League 3 --Sporting Clube de Goa, Dempo SC and Sporting Club Bengaluru.

Sporting Clube de Goa, who became the inaugural champions of the I-League 3 after finishing atop the Playoffs at the end of last year, are back on the national stage after a gap of seven years. They were joined by five-time I-League/NFL champions Dempo SC and Sporting Club Bengaluru, who finished second and third, respectively.

The I-League 2 will take a 40-day gap between February 12 and March 23 to accommodate the Santosh Trophy Final Round. The league will run until the last week of April.

AIFF Acting Secretary General Satyanarayan M. said, “The AIFF had a meeting with the eight I-League 2 teams and we agreed to have a gap in between for the Santosh Trophy. It will be a great competitive league on a home-and-away basis, which will be good for all teams.”

The eight participating teams in the 2023-24 I-League 2, with their home ground in brackets, are -- FC Bengaluru United (Dravid and Padukone COE, Bengaluru); Dempo SC (Ella Ground, Goa); Mumbai Kenkre FC (COE Kharghar, Mumbai); Sporting Club Bengaluru (Bangalore Football Stadium, Bengaluru); Sporting Clube de Goa (Tilak Maidan, Goa); Sudeva Delhi FC (Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi); The Oranje FC (COE Khargar, Mumbai) and United SC (Kalyani Stadium, Kalyani).