KOCHI: After the resounding success of the recently held FIFA U-17 World Cup matches, Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor here is all set to the welcome the fourth edition of Indian Super League (ISL) football tournament which gets under way on Friday. If the brisk sale of tickets, with the entire lot getting sold out within 90 minutes of the sales commencing, the stadium will literally become a sea of yellow, packed with Kerala Blasters FC fans in their yellow team jerseys.
Though excitement is already in the air, the reduction of the seating capacity to 41,000 has disappointed several fans who were eagerly waiting to be a part of the 'yellow sea' in the stadium which recorded some of the highest attendance in the previous editions.
Bollywood stars, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif along with about 350 performers are ready to rock the stadium in the short yet spectacular 30-minute show from 6.30 pm ahead of the ISL-4 opener between hosts Kerala Blasters FC and champions ATK. Salman will be making a blockbuster entry on a bicycle and accompanying him on stage will be Katrina Kaif. The duo’s performance is expected to set the temperature soaring.
For the football frenzy fans in Kerala, the performance of the duo would be a visual treat ahead of the release of 'Tiger Zinda Hai', the much-hyped Bollywood venture from them. Besides, the co-owner of Kerala Blasters FC master blaster Sachin Tendulkar's presence will heighten the excitement of Blasters' fans.
The Kerala Blasters FC will be represented by its captain Sandesh Jhingan along with cricket icon and co-owner Sachin Tendulkar while the visiting team captain will bring the trophy back to the competition.
The opening ceremony will take place at 6.30 pm., while the deferred live on TV will be from 7.15 pm onwards. Gates at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium will open for fans at 3.30 pm as Kochi welcomes the football frenzy for the next four months.
The first match between last year’s runners-up Kerala Blasters FC and defending champions ATK will kick off at 8 pm. It was earlier decided the opener will be in Kolkata where defending champions ATK are based. But the organisers decided to shift it to Kochi where last season’s runners-up Kerala Blasters are based.
The fourth edition of the ISL will see 10 teams vying for the elusive title. Until the third season, only eight teams competed for the title, but this year two more teams, the JSW-owned Bengaluru FC and Tata's Jamshedpur FC, have been added to the league. The winner of the ISL will get an opportunity to play the AFC Cup playoffs. The ISL runs parallel to the I-League.