The Under-22 rule returns to the I-League starting with the Bagan vs Lajong match tonight

THE Under-22 RULE in the I-League is back from today. The stipulation, which mandated that every club must have one U-22 player in their starting line-up, was suspended a couple of weeks ago due to some of the best U-22 players joining national duty for India U-23 in the South Asian Games.

Many of the players in the national U-23 squad have been the go-to guys for I-League clubs to fulfil the U-22 quota in the starting line-up so with them unavailable, the teams could take a hit by having to field players who are by no means ready for the senior level. In that light, suspending the rule during the South Asian Games was a considerate decision from the AIFF.

But now that the SAG's are over, with the India losing to Nepal in the gold medal game, the likes of Rehenesh TP, Pritam Kotal and Udanta Singh have returned to their respective clubs, and the U-22 rule will be back in play starting with the match between Mohun Bagan and Shillong Lajong at Barasat tonight.

The way the coaches have been using U-22 players in the league has been subject to criticism. Not long ago Ashley Westwood called out Bagan coach Sanjay Sen for quickly substituting Azharuddin Mallick during the Kolkata Derby. Now that the juniors have returned to their clubs with a little more international experience under their belt, it will be interesting to see what role they are chosen to play in the league going forward.