All posts tagged: ISL title race

How a chaotic Kolkata Derby has left 4 contenders for the title

How a chaotic Kolkata Derby has left 4 contenders for the title

Published by Webster

4 min readMay 18, 2026 07:16 PM IST It took a long time for the 2025/26 season of the Indian Super League (ISL) to heave itself off the ground and while it’s feet continued to shiver under the weight of a bureaucratic mess, it somehow has provided a thriller of a title race that has gone down to the last day. A significant byproduct of this was a Kolkata derby that, for a change, actually mattered a lot at the top of the table, after which there are now four chief contenders for the ISL trophy: East Bengal, Mohun Bagan SG, Punjab FC and Mumbai City FC. With head-to-head record between teams being the first tie-breaker this season before goal-difference, a victory for either Bagan or East Bengal would’ve practically sealed the title for either side in the Kolkata Derby. It wasn’t to be. In front of a sold out crowd at the Salt Lake Stadium, the two sides went blow for blow for almost the entirety of the match. It all came to a …

Kolkata derby ends in chaotic 1-1 draw, ISL title to be decided on final day

Kolkata derby ends in chaotic 1-1 draw, ISL title to be decided on final day

Published by Webster

Mohun Bagan SG and East Bengal were locked 0-0 until the 85th minute. From there until the end of the match 13 minutes later, there was a goal for East Bengal (and a celebration like they had won the league) an equaliser for Bagan, Bipin Singh made a mess of a goalscoring chance for the umpteenth time, his goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill made an astonishing save with his left foot and East Bengal scorer Edmund Lalrindika received a red card. All in front of a Salt Lake Stadium packed to the rafters and feeling every second of the game. One would be forgiven for thinking that Indian football and the Indian Super League (ISL) was thriving if this match on Sunday was their introduction to this world. In the end, the score was 1-1, the best possible result for the neutrals, and fans of Mumbai City and Punjab FC, the two other frontrunners for the title. It means the league winners will now be confirmed only on the final day of the season on Thursday. For …

Biggest East Bengal-Mohun Bagan derby in years with both fighting for ISL title

Biggest East Bengal-Mohun Bagan derby in years with both fighting for ISL title

Published by Webster

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 …

How Kolkata Derby could decide ISL 2025-26 title race?

How Kolkata Derby could decide ISL 2025-26 title race?

Published by Webster

The 2025-26 Indian Super League season is heading towards a dramatic finish. Usually, by the final week of the ISL season, the points table gives a fairly clear indication of who is likely to lift the title. But this season has been anything but predictable. With the league set to conclude on May 21, as many as seven teams, from current table toppers East Bengal FC to seventh-placed Mumbai City FC, remain mathematically in contention for the league title. The ISL follows a single-leg round-robin format this season, where all 14 teams play each other once. Unlike previous editions, there are no playoffs or knockout rounds this year, meaning the team finishing at the top of the table after 91 matches will be crowned champions. And because of that format, every remaining match suddenly feels like a final. Here’s a look at what each of the seven teams needs to do to win the ISL title: East Bengal Points: 22 from 11 matches | Goal Difference: +18 East Bengal FC currently sit at the top …