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The ISL 2017 opener saw an opening ceremony that received mixed reactions. (L-R) Kerala Blasters co- owner Sachin Tendulkar, actor Salman Khan, Reliance Foundation Founder Nita Ambani and actors Katrina Kaif, Mammootty during the opening ceremony of Indian Super League (ISL) at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Nov 17, 2017IANS

The inaugural match of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 season between Kerala Blasters and ATK got a total of 25 million TV impressions, Star India announced on Thursday. The match also registered an impressive 59 per cent growth over the last year's opening game.

The match at the JLN Stadium Kochi recorded 7.4 million average impressions, which is reportedly double the figure of the India vs USA match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017.

READ: U-17 WC broadcast ratings beat English Premier League, La Liga

This year, the four-month long season along with the addition of two new teams -- Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC -- has added more thrill to the Indian football season.

"We are thrilled with the response that the Indian Super League is getting from football fans across India," Sanjay Gupta, MD, Star India, said.

"The growth demonstrated is across urban, rural and digital audiences which indeed proves that football is India's future! We are looking forward to having an exhilarating journey on this biggest ever season of the league," he added.

A total of 95 matches will be played in the the ISL 2017-18 season amongst 10 teams. The matches will be played over a home-and-away format in 90 games. The two-legged semi-finals of the ISL league are scheduled to take place in the second week of March 2018.

Click here for the full schedule of ISL 2017-18.

(with IANS inputs)

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