Indian Super League will be tougher with 10 teams: FC Pune City's Kean Lewis

Mumbai: Indian footballer Kean Lewis is optimistic that FC Pune City will bounce back in the fourth season of the Indian Super League (ISL), which starts in November this year.

Lewis, who was a part of the Delhi Dynamos side which reached the semifinals last season, was picked up by FC Pune City for the upcoming edition of the ISL.

The Maharashtra franchise is yet to make it to the last four stage of the tournament. Asked about his team’s chances in the upcoming edition, he said, “Whichever team I play for, we aim for nothing else apart from the trophy. It is important that we as players should believe we can do that (winning the trophy).”

He also added that having enough number of foreign players will motivate the Indians to do well. “They will motivate you, they just keep telling you about their footballing journey. They lead by example,” he stated.

With the Indian Super League having ten teams from this season, after the inclusion of Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC, the 24-year old said that the competition was even tougher when the league consisted of eight teams before.

“ISL was tough even when it was eight teams. Still, we want more teams to join the league. More teams means having more players, which leads to more opportunities. Looking at that, the ISL is looking to give players more opportunities,” he commented.

The Indian Super League, which will run simultaneously along with I-League, kicks off in November, after the conclusion of the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India. The season will go on for over four months, which concludes in March.