Looking at 2021: Record Olympic haul for India, Federer's Wimbledon aspirations and I-League without the big two

 Even though 2020 saw a lot of marquee events being scrapped or postponed, 2021 is not short of big sporting events. ESPN's staff tell us what they are looking forward to the most in 2021:

The return of the I-League

The 2019-20 I-League was suspended just as things were starting to heat up. Sure, (the old) Mohun Bagan had run away with the title, but with a minimum of four matches each left and just three points separating second from eighth, it would have been another belter of a season climax.

The league will hope it can pick things up from where it had left off, even though they will be without their two biggest draws. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan have new prefixes, new investors, and are in the ISL now. How the I-League handles this - in terms of dipping viewership, commercial attractiveness and stakeholder interest - will go a long way in shaping the future of football in India.

Economic considerations aside, there are enough sub-plots to hold the attention, in pure footballing terms. The drama and history of Mohammedan Sporting returns. A club from the capital again, Sudeva. The upwardly mobile Gokulam Kerala, Chennai City, and Real Kashmir battling for supremacy. And can you ever truly count out Churchill Brothers?

The 2021 season will be held in Kolkata, in the new normal of bio-bubbles and quarantines, with teams fighting for their lives. That's must-see television -- if they can find a decent broadcaster.