ISL: Tough ask for Mohammedan Sporting to survive in the big league

There are no prizes for guessing that the entry of Mohammedan Sporting Club as the 13th team will add a new flavour to the 11th edition of the Indian Super League (ISL), which gets underway in Kolkata on 13 September. Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Mumbai City FC, the top two finishers from last season, will set the ball rolling in a potentially mouthwatering clash at Salt Lake Stadium.

The century-old black-and-white brigade, the erstwhile third pillar of the Big Three of Indian football, will begin its campaign against North East United on 16 September in Kolkata, playing all home matches at Kishore Bharati Stadium on the city's southern fringes.

Nicknamed the Black Panthers, the historic club took its first bow in the season-opening press conference with coach Andrey Chernyshov and midfielder Shaikh Faiaz in attendance along with other coaches and captains in a city hotel. It will be quite a tough ask for the club against the cash-rich clubs of the country — not to speak of the challenge of maintaining consistency over the long calendar.  

Chernyshov was at the helm as Sporting secured its historic first I-League title in the 2023-24 season, earning a direct promotion to the ISL. It now joins East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant, marking the first time that all three of Kolkata’s major clubs will compete in the same tier.

Notably, they become only the second team after Punjab FC to secure direct promotion to the ISL from the I-League.

Since its relegation from the I-League in 2014, the historic club had been absent from the top tier for a decade. Its comeback, against all odds, has been nothing short of remarkable as it clinched the I-League with a game to spare, sealing the promotion with a decisive 2-1 victory over Shillong Lajong away from home.

It finished the season with 52 points from 24 matches, recording 15 wins and seven draws. The team scored 44 goals and conceded only 22, with Eddie Hernandez leading the scorers' list with 13 goals and Alexis Gomez becoming top assist provider with six.

Following its relegation to I-League 2 in 2014, it has been a lonely climb for Sporting as it spent five seasons in the lower division. However, during the 2019-20 season, it achieved a significant milestone by securing a return to the I-League.

It narrowly missed winning the I-League the next season, having held the top position for most of the campaign before losing to Gokulam Kerala FC on the final match day. However, it made a remarkable comeback in the 2023-24 season, securing a place in the history books.