The Indian Super League (ISL) was launched on October 21st 2013 by IMG-Reliance, STAR Sports, and the AIFF.
The bidding for the teams was done on 3 March 2014. It was also revealed around this time that not only would bidders need to comply with a financial requirement but they would also need to promote grass-roots development plans for football within their area.
In April 2014, the winning bidders were announced. The selected cities/state in were Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata,Mumbai, and Pune. Former India cricket player Sachin Tendulkar, along with PVP Ventures, won the bidding for the Kochi franchise. Another former Indian cricket player, Sourav Ganguly, along with a group of Indian businessmen and La Liga side Atlético Madrid, had won the bidding for the Kolkata franchise. Meanwhile, Bollywood stars John Abraham, Ranbir Kapoor, and Salman Khan had won the bidding for the Guwahati, Mumbai, and Pune franchises respectively. Bangalore and Delhi were won by companies while Goa was won by a partnership between Videocon and I-League sides Dempo and Salgaocar.
The first team to be launched officially was the Kolkata franchise as Atlético de Kolkata on 7 May 2014.
