India, Jan. 6 -- The 12th season of Indian Super League (ISL) will begin on February 14. The announcement on Tuesday in New Delhi by union sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya ends months of uncertainty that stemmed from a long legal battle followed by the absence of a commercial partner for the top tier men's competition.

If 14 teams play, ISL will have 91 matches played on a single-leg format with a yet undecided number of games home and away. AIFF is keen on capping the cost of running the league at Rs.25 crore this term and the national body will pick up 40% of the tab which will be around Rs.10 crore. The rest will have to be borne by the clubs.

A back-of-the envelope calculation puts that amount at around Rs.2 crore each including a ...