In the final, held in Chennai, Goa beat West Bengal by 4–2 on penalties after a 0–0 draw.
The latter edition saw West Bengal winning its 29th and last title before entering the 2008–09 tournament.
[2] Punjab entered the tournament on the back of two wins and were looking for a hat-trick of titles.
The qualification round of the tournament was held in for venues: Chennai, Tiruvallur, Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli.
It was the sixth meeting of the two teams in the final, with Bengal winning on five occasions and once the trophy shared.