The newly-formed Mahindra Super League Kerala kicks off in the Nehru Stadium, Kochi on Saturday, featuring a mix of Indian stars and young talents, along with some foreign players.

Although the six-club league, is the only domestic tournament in India, it has allowed foreign players to participate.

I-League Player of the Season Award holder from last season, Gokulam Kerala FC’s Alex Sanchez, will be a bright star in the ranks of Malappuram FC after he turned down an offer from Hyderabad FC to feature in the Indian Super League (ISL).

Former Chennaiyin FC star John Gregory, who guided his club to the ISL title in 2017-18, along with two-time ISL champion Raphael Augusto and C.K Vineeth are a part of the roster.

The young players in the pool will be keen to use this stage as a ladder to grab attention of franchises in the bigger leagues.

“We are talking about a lot of young players here. My responsibility will be to improve them and help them go to a higher league and to the ISL,” said Mario Lemos, the home side Forca Kochi FC coach, here on Friday.

“The experienced players, who have played at a high level, have to be an example for the young players, they have to mentor them because these youngsters will look up to them.”

Malappuram FC will take on Forca Kochi on Saturday in the football-crazy city with the fanatics offered a package in INR 625, including a to and fro bus service, along with the match ticket and a bottle of water.

Kozhikode FC, Thrissur Magic FC, Thiruvananthapuram Kombans FC and Kannur Warriors FC are the other franchises in the league.

The season opener kicks-off at 08:00PM after an opening ceremony, slated to begin at 06:00 pm, featuring Jacqueline Fernandez, ace musician Stephen Devassy and ‘Drums’ Sivamani.