A Kolkata football club captained by a Malayali will play in ISL next season

A Kolkata club led by a Malayali will play in the Indian Super League (ISL) next season. Diamond Harbour FC, captained by Kerala’s Joby Justin, secured promotion to the first division by clinching the Indian Football League (IFL) title on Sunday.

Diamond Harbour has a couple of other Kerala connections, as at least three of their members were with Kerala Blasters. The biggest name among them is head coach Kibu Vicuna, who had a forgettable run with the Blasters. Goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh and attacker Bryce Miranda are two former Kerala Blasters players in the Diamond Harbour squad.

But Thiruvananthapuram native Joby is the star attraction of Vicuna's energetic side. The former striker of Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has good ISL experience, having played for ATK Mohun Bagan and Chennaiyin.

Diamond Harbour needed a point to wrap up the title when they faced Dempo SC on Sunday. The Goans led through a Marcus Joseph goal in the 50th minute, but Diamond Harbour secured their equaliser in the first minute of injury time with a Hugo Diaz goal.

Diamond Harbour have won their third promotion in as many seasons, as they won the I-League 3 and I-League 2 in successive years.

When the season started in February, Kozhikode-based Gokulam Kerala were hoping to win the IFL and join Kerala Blasters in the ISL. However, after a disastrous second half of the season, Gokulam were left in a relegation battle. The two-time I-League winners survived the fall with a 98th-minute winner against Namdhari SC last week.