Atlético de Kolkata

Location Kolkata, West Bengal

Manager Antonio López Habas

Stadium Salt Lake Stadium (120,000 capacity)

Marquee player(s) Luis García

The first official side to be announced by the Indian Super League, after the owners of the club – Kolkata Games and Sports – won the bidding for the city’s franchise football team. With the likes of Sourav Ganguly part of the investment team, the franchise is part-owned by Spanish side Atlético Madrid – hence the kit colours the side will wear – and was the most expensive franchise in the league. The team will be managed by Antonio López Habas – who took charge of Bolivia and Valencia among others before coaching in South Africa – and its marquee signing is ex-Liverpool star Luis García. While he originally retired playing for Pumas in Mexico at the start of the year, García reversed his decision to play in the ISL. The rest of the squad has a somewhat Spanish core, with La Liga journeymen Borja Fernández and Jofre Mateu having started their careers at Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, as well as containing another ex-Liverpool Spaniard Josemi and Indian veteran Climax Lawrence.

Chennaiyin FC

Location Chennai, Tamil Nadiu

Manager Marco Materazzi (player-manager)

Stadium Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai (40,000 capacity)

Marquee player(s) Elano, Bernard Mendy, Mikaël Silvestre,

After a series of drop-outs, including that of a group headed by Sunil Gavaskar withdrawing due to a commitment to the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Bollywood actor and producer Abhishek Bachchan stepped in as the key investor in August. World Cup winner Marco Materazzi takes on the role of player-manager in what will be his first club since leaving Inter in 2011 and first staff position anywhere, and his primary focus will be on coaching during his time in India. At his disposal he has a number of ex-Premier League players, the most prominent of them being Elano – once of Manchester City. The man who was signed during the Thaksin Shinawatra era spent two seasons in Manchester before spells in Turkey and most recently Brazil is the club’s official marquee player, and will line up alongside the likes of ex-Bolton and Hull full-back Bernard Mendy, former Manchester United youth team player Bojan Djordjic and Mikaël Silvestre.

Delhi Dynamos

Location Delhi

Manager Harm van Veldhoven

Stadium Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi (60,000 capacity)

Marquee player(s) Alessandro Del Piero

One of the most talked-about franchises in the ISL, the side from the country’s capital have made headlines with what is probably the biggest coup in terms of transfers, following the announcement that Alessandro Del Piero would be playing for the Dynamos as their marquee signing. The man who made over 500 appearances for Juventus and over 90 for Italy was announced by the club towards the end of August, having spent the last couple of seasons at Australian A-League side Sydney FC after leaving Juventus in 2012. Despite interest from elsewhere, Del Piero was persuaded to join the inaugural league while Sydney FC brought in David Villa as his replacement. The manager, Harm van Veldhoven, has spent most of his managerial career managing average Belgian clubs and Del Piero’s team-mates look equally uninspiring, the squad being filled out with various footballers who played in the Eredivisie and Jupiler League. Like Atlético de Kolkata, they have a link to a big European club – in their case Feyenoord.

FC Goa

Location Goa

Manager Zico

Stadium Fatorda Stadium, Goa (24,500 capacity)

Marquee player(s) Robert Pirès, André Santos

Another of the most frequently-mentioned franchises in the Indian Super League, FC Goa ensured that big names are spread throughout their team, with the owners, players and manager all harbouring their own kind of weight. The owners include Indian businessman Venugopal Dhoot and there was an announcement too that cricket Virat Kohli – who has become one of the most marketable sportsmen in the world – would be involved in investment into the club. Taking the reins is Zico, as the Brazilian legend continues his whistle-stop tour of obscure footballing countries after leaving Qatari side Al-Gharafa to take up his role in India. As for the marquee player in their side, Arsenal and France luminary Robert Pirès takes that mantle following his announcement in early September. Having previously told the world that he would make a comeback to promote the Indian Super League, he tied himself to Goa last month, saying: “For me the project and the passion for the game are very important. India needs a start.” Rejecting offers from the USA and Qatar, this will be the first professional football the 40-year-old has played since leaving Aston Villa in 2011, and he will line up alongside another player with an Arsenal association in André Santos – who it is safe to say was somewhat less respected in north London than Le Bob.

Kerala Blasters

Location Kochi, Kerala

Manager David James (player-manager)

Stadium Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi (75,000 capacity)

Marquee player(s) David James, Michael Chopra

Probably the weakest team in the Indian Super League on paper, the Kerala Blasters may be mistaken for a cricket team on the face of it but there is a reason behind its slightly misleading name. Co-owned by Sachin Tendulkar and entrepreneur Prasad V Potluri, the moniker derives from the nickname of the Indian cricket deity, who was affectionately known as “Master Blaster” during his playing career. One of two player-managers in the ISL, David James also acts as the Blasters’ marquee signing, taking up what will be his second role as both a player and coaching staff member. Last time, he linked up with former team-mate Hermann Hreidarsson at Icelandic club IBV – where Hreidarsson was manager – and took up a low-wage playing role alongside coaching. The Englishman will be taking the reins completely this time however, taking charge of a side with a rather British flavour. Michael Chopra is probably the biggest name to be playing at Jahwaharlal Nehru Stadium – one of three in the ISL named after the prominent independence figure – as well as the likes of Scottish-born Canadian international Iain Hume and Jamie McAllister, who will double up as James’ assistant manager following a career spent largely in the Football League. While the Brits make up the more mature element of the team, the Blasters have recruited two young Brazilians in Erwin Spitzner and Pedro Gusmao, who have about 25 Brazilian league appearances between them. Despite seemingly having the weakest team, if the Indian Premier League cricket experience was anything to go by this should not necessarily rule them out of the running for success, with the Rajasthan Royals winning the inaugural IPL series despite having what many considered to be the weakest squad.

Mumbai City FC

Location Mumbai, Maharashtra

Manager Peter Reid

Stadium DY Patil Stadium (55,000 capacity)

Marquee player(s) Fredrik Ljungberg, Nicolas Anelka

Another ISL side whose investment involves a Bollywood film star, with Ranbir Kapoor the co-owner of the franchise, Mumbai City FC are also another side to take on a distinctly English flavour – at least in their managerial team. They are led by Peter Reid, the former Manchester City and Sunderland manager, who takes on his first job since leaving Plymouth Argyle in 2011. He the Thai national team for a year in 2008-09, and this is in fact the second time an Indian team has announced his appointment, after the Kolkata Camelians secured Reid’s services for the Bengal Premier League Soccer competition, which ended up being cancelled. Assisted by Englishman Steve Darby – who has been managing in Asia since the late 1970s – there are a few honorary Brits in the Mumbai squad as well. Arsenal legend Freddie Ljungberg is the club’s marquee player – in his first club role since leaving Japanese club Shimizu S-Pulse in 2012 – having told the world back in July that he would be promoting the tournament. Nicolas Anelka has also been given a route back into professional football after the controversy at West Brom last season in what looks to be an astute acquisition up front, while German defender Manuel Freidrich – who was drafted in on a free transfer by Borussia Dortmund last season as injury cover and should be a solid signing at the back.

NorthEast United FC

Location Guwahati, Assam

Manager Ricki Herbert

Stadium Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium (35,000 capacity)

Marquee player(s) Joan Capdevilla

Without necessarily having the big names that some of their competitors can boast, NorthEast United FC have subtly gone about their business to create a reasonable-looking side to compete, representing one of the biggest areas of the country. The club’s crest is marked by eight stars at the top – representing each of the eight states in the region – and it will be co-run by Bollywood star John Abraham in conjunction, rather confusingly, with I-League side Shillong Lajong (an Indian I-League club also from the north-east region). Managed by New Zealander Ricki Herbert, who left his job with Wellington Phoenix in 2013, Spanish left-back Joan Capdevilla is the club’s marquee signing. He was released by La Liga club Espanyol at the end of last season and, having won both the World Cup and the European Championships before he was ousted by Jordi Alba for Euro 2012, Capdevilla should bring a wealth of experience to this side. Another notable signing is English striker James Keene, who has spent the majority of his career playing in Sweden after leaving Portsmouth in 2006, as well as Zambian Africa Cup of Nations winner Isaac Chansa and Greek international goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas.

FC Pune City

Location Pune, Maharashtra

Manager Franco Colomba

Stadium Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex (22,000 capacity)

Marquee player(s) David Trezeguet

Bollywood star Salman Khan linked up with Italian club Fiorentina to purchase the Pune franchise, and the influence of the Serie A club at FC Pune City is discernible. With no fewer than four Italians on their books for the upcoming season, as well as an Italian manager and a backroom staff chock-full of Italians, fans of the club will be hoping that their team play some football as tasty as the food that the spine of the team are used to. They are managed by Franco Colomba – a 59-year-old coach who has managed 16 separate Italian clubs since the early 1990s prior to joining Pune City – and he has brought with him a band of uninspiring Serie A names, including his 26-year-old son Davide. David Trezeguet’s is the name that stands out of course: the 36-year-old French international likely to be as prolific as he has ever been in a career that most recently took him to Argentina, where he grew up, for spells at River Plate and Newell’s Old Boys. Kostas Katsouranis may be an understated signing for Pune City – the 35-year-old Greek international is renowned for his leadership qualities with the national team and recently played for his country at the World Cup in Brazil.