Biggest East Bengal-Mohun Bagan derby in years with both fighting for ISL title
4 min readMay 17, 2026 07:30 AM IST It has taken six years but at long last, the Kolkata derby could actually be the match that decides the Indian Super League (ISL) crown, as opposed to being just a marketing pitch for the competition. Going into Sunday’s fixture at the Salt Lake Stadium, Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal are level on 22 points, second and third on the table respectively, after playing 11 games with the red and gold brigade ahead on goal difference. Effectively, though, the two Kolkata giants have the strongest chance at winning the title – provided one of them wins on Sunday – with current league leaders Bengaluru FC having already finished their 13 matches with 23 points. That, and the fact that Mohun Bagan have drawn twice in their last two matches, are among the many by-products of the heavily truncated and truly bizarre season that this has been in the ISL. The first of those two draws, against FC Goa, came after an inexplicable break of 20 …
