On the eve of the Indian Super League of football, everyone’s predicting that it will be a smash hit on the lines of the IPL and Pro Kabaddi, and will put football in the prime place it always should have enjoyed in India. So, to ensure that it actually does succeed, it will need to learn from those who have gone before.

But no one is asking what it should avoid, that the IPL has already done. No one, except us. Here are some things that the ISL should definitely not do: