Stan Rayan
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KOCHI
The Scoreline Kerala Premier League football, which kicks off in Kozhikode and Malappuram on Thursday, will have two new teams - Alappuzha’s M.K. Sporting Club (corporate entry, training base in Malappuram) and Payyannur College (from Kannur, made the cut through KPL qualifiers).
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The event, where Kochi’s Golden Threads is the defending champion, will feature 22 teams.
And Kerala Blasters and FC Kerala, which were relegated last season, have made a return to the top league through the qualifying tournament which concluded at Kasargod last month. The Blasters had won the qualifying event, with Payyannur College finishing runner-up.
The 22 teams in the KPL, which has Scoreline as the title sponsor, have been divided into three groups. And the league matches in the group stage will be played on a single-leg format. The top two from each group will qualify to the ‘super six’ stage, once again a league where the teams will play in a single-leg format. The top four from this will progress to the semifinals, a double-leg affair, and the top two will play the final.
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The KFA will nominate the KPL winner to the I-League Second Division. Nearly 800 players will be in action in the event, which the KFA claims is the largest ever for any State league in the country. All the matches will be streamed live on FanCode.
Two matches will be played every day in the league stage, and Ernakulam will join in as the third venue on December 9.
The groupings:
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Group A: SAT (Tirur, Mlp), M.K. SC (Alp), Real Malabar FC (Koz), Basco Othukungal (Mlp), Wayanad FC, Luca SC (Mlp), Kerala United FC (Tvm), FC Areekode (Mlp).
Group B: Muthoot FA (Ekm), Kerala Police (Mlp), Gokulam Kerala FC (Koz), FC Kerala, (Tsr) Golden Threads FC (Ekm), Don Bosco FA (Ekm), Parappur FC (Tsr).
Group C: Kovalam FC (Tvm), Travancore Royals FC (Tvm), LIFFA (Tvm), KSEB (Tvm), Payannur College (Knr), SAI (Tvm), Kerala Blasters FC..