2020–21 I-League
The 2020–21 I-League (known as the Hero I-League for sponsorship reasons) was the 14th season of the I-League, one of the top tier Indian professional football leagues, since its establishment in 2007. The tournament was hosted in bio-secure bubble across four venues in Kolkata due to the COVID-19 pandemic situation in India.
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 9 January – 27 March 2021 |
| Champions | Gokulam Kerala 1st I-League title 1st Indian title |
| AFC Cup | Gokulam Kerala |
| Matches played | 80 |
| Goals scored | 216 (2.7 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Bidyashagar Singh (12 goals) |
| Best goalkeeper | Kiran Chemjong (105 mins per goal) |
| Highest scoring | Indian Arrows 2–5 Churchill Brothers (10 January 2021) Gokulam Kerala 4–3 Punjab (14 January 2021) Real Kashmir 4–3 NEROCA (13 February 2021) |
| Longest winning run | TRAU (5 games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Churchill Brothers (11 games) |
| Longest winless run | Indian Arrows (7 games) |
| Longest losing run | NEROCA (6 games) |
← 2019–20 2021–22 → | |
Mohun Bagan was declared the champion of the 2019–20 season after the cancellation of matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic, since the second placed team could not catch up even if all 20 games were completed. However, following Mohun Bagan's merger with Indian Super League (ISL) club ATK, the club began competing in the ISL from the 2020–21 ISL season.
Throughout the First Phase, Churchill Brothers kept its dominance with an unbeaten run of 11 games, while in the Second Phase, Gokulam Kerala, Churchill Brothers and TRAU traded the lead several times throughout the Championship Stage. Entering the final matchday, Gokulam Kerala were ahead on goal difference. However, with the Gokulam and TRAU facing off, either team could claim the title with a win. A draw in the Gokulam Kerala–TRAU match and a win were needed for Churchill Brothers to be crowned champions. The game ended in a 4–1 win for Gokulam, giving the Malabarians their first I-league title and qualification for the AFC Cup. NEROCA finished bottom of the Relegation Stage and were to relegated, but were reinstated by AIFF after the viewing the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic.