ISL to restart at its lowest point on Valentine's Day as MBSG host Kerala Blasters in Kolkata

Indian football has hit such a low that the preview shows signalling the arrival of the Indian Super League (ISL), the country's equivalent of the Premier League, have become a thing of the past. There have been hardly any mobile notifications, and match updates appear somewhere between La Liga and Saudi League fixtures on FanCode, the league's official broadcaster this season.

Yet for almost all the 14 participating clubs, having a season in the first place is more important than a blank across their calendar. So, here we are. Starting five months late, but starting nevertheless. On Saturday, the ISL season begins in Kolkata, with a blockbuster opening fixture: defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant versus three-time finalists Kerala Blasters.

A few days ago, Kerala Blasters' Sporting Director Karolis Skinkys gave an honest assessment of the situation when prodded about the lack of big names in their squad and the subdued start of the campaign. "It is so irrelevant now to speak about tables, players, stars and superstars. It doesn't matter. Now, it's about survival," Skinkys said.

The Blasters are among the sides that let go of their big players, including captain Adrian Luna and talisman Noah Sadaoui, with the sole purpose of reducing the salary bill. "I appreciate players like Luna, who understood the situation and took the opportunity to go on loan. It was, in the situation, helpful for the club," Skinkys said.

The ISL season had been cast into a phase of uncertainty due to alleged actions (inaction) of the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The custodians of football in the country did not renew a mandatory deal with FSDL, its commercial partner of 10 years, leading to the suspension of the 12th season. It took a government-level intervention to convince the clubs to pool in whatever they could to start the season. But in the absence of a commercial partner and with a substantial reduction in television money (a dip to ₹8.62 crore from ₹275 crore last season), the club bandwagons are essentially running on reserve fuel.

In this context, expectations are not sky-high for the 'Manjappada', and Head Coach David Catala's words on the eve of the opener reflected that. "It is true that we didn't have the best preparation. 14 days of preparation is not enough for the start of a competition," Catala said. "But the players are mentally focused. We're happy to be here (Kolkata), to start the league, something we have waited a long time," the Spaniard said.

Bikash Yumnam, just 22, will lead the Blasters this season. It is a smart move by the management to put the armband on the biceps of the India Under-23 skipper, who will marshal the defence.

The retention of exciting Indian talents, Vibin Mohanan, Nihal Sudheesh, Muhammad Ajsal and Korou Singh, should encourage the Blasters' faithful, who might also be eager to know how their foreign delegation contributes. All five overseas players -- Oumar Bah, Kevin Yoke, Victor Bertomeu, Luis Matias Hernandez and Marlon Roos Tujillo -- are fresh recruits, and at least three of them should start. In goal, Sachin Suresh would want to try a pair of fresh gloves and forget his recurring errors from last season.

The match will begin at 5 pm. The opening day will also feature FC Goa at home in Fatorda against I-League champions Inter Kashi, starting 7 pm. The matches can be watched live on FanCode.

Kerala Blasters squad:
Goalkeepers: Sachin Suresh, Arsh Shaikh, Alsabith Sulaiman
Defenders: Naocha Singh, Aibanbha Dohling, Hormipam Ruivah, Sandeep Singh, Muhammed Saheef, Bikash Yumngam, Sumit Sharma, Jaganath Jayan, Oumar Bah
Midfielders: Vibin Mohanan, Danish Farooq, Nihal Sudeesh, Rowllin Borges, Freddy Lallawmawma, Ebinas Yesudasan, Salahudeen Adnan, Luis Matías Hernández, Marlon Roos Trujillo
Forwards: Korou Singh, Lalthanmawia Renthlei, Muhammed Ajsal, Sreekuttan MS, Victor Bertomeu, Kevin Yoke