Kolkata: A new edition of the Indian Super League (ISL), the biggest in its 11-year history, will begin on Friday with a clash that is as heavyweight as it gets when league shield champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant host cup winners Mumbai City FC. Going into the season, the biggest talking point though is a player conspicuous by his absence – Anwar Ali.

Ali has been banned for four months by the Players’ Status Committee of the All India Football Federation for ditching Mohun Bagan without just cause. That brought East Bengal, the other half of one of Asian club football’s oldest rivalries, into the frame. For Ali, a ball carrying central defender with a good passing range, is now with East Bengal, having joined on a five-year deal.

Being able to lure a top India player from a club more used to winning the competition – “Mohun Bagan are the benchmark for this league,” Mumbai City FC coach Petr Kratky told a crowded press conference at Mohun Bagan on Thursday – was a statement of intent the kind of which East Bengal hadn’t shown in ISL where they haven’t finished higher than ninth.

It led to ISL witnessing for the first time what Kolkata has for decades – a tug-of-war over a player that is as much about schadenfreude as it is about soccer. Adding another level of intrigue is I-League’s Delhi FC who had loaned Ali to Mohun Bagan.

The first round looks to have gone to Mohun Bagan because East Bengal have accepted that Ali will not be available for their opening match, away to Bengaluru FC on Saturday. But with the verdict being challenged, in AIFF and the Delhi high court which is supposed to hear Ali's plea for a stay on the ban on Friday, this is far from over.

“He is going to be an important player for the club, but we understand the situation that is not in our hands,” said East Bengal coach Carles Cuadrat here on Thursday.

Barring a late surge that took them to the final in 22-23, Bengaluru FC have been also been underwhelming leading to four coaches being changed between February 2021 and December 2023 when Gerard Zaragoza, who is now in charge, joined. Bengaluru FC have overhauled the roster signing seven new players, three of them from Mumbai City FC (Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Rahul Bheke and Alberto Noguera) ahead of what could be Sunil Chhetri’s last season in football.

Including newly promoted Mohammedan Sporting, Cuadrat is one of the 10 coaches who have been retained. The list includes Khalid Jamil and Thangboi Singto with two Indian head coaches starting the season being a first.

It show that clubs are realising the importance of continuity. Look no further than Juan Pedro Benali who delivered the Durand Cup, a first trophy for NorthEast United. “We are looking to be more stable this time and that is why a lot of players were retained and the management worked hard to keep me,” he has said.

Bedding-in isn’t easy, said Kratky. “Things happened very quickly when I joined mid-season (in 2023-24) and it took me a while to understand the culture.” Sitting alongside, Lallianzuala Chhangte, unarguably the best Indian player now, said: “He changed a lot of things, among them mentality and attitude. That will be important this time.”

Mohun Bagan are not on that list though Jose Molina, the last of the six Spanish coaches to join, won ISL in 2016. “The league has changed a lot since with the quality of Indian and foreign players having improved,” said Molina.

Eight years ago, ISL was a two-month, eight-team tournament. Among the things that have changed since is the number of foreigners on the pitch being reduced to four from six. Addition of a concussion substitute and increasing the players’ salary cap from ₹16.5 crore to ₹18 crore with teams given the option of keeping two players outside the cap are among other changes this term.

Mohun Bagan were second best in the Durand Cup but Ashique Kuruniyan is back after a long injury layoff and their roster, embellished with quality in all areas including signing A-League’s record scorer Jamie MacLaren, has seven India players.“Every day, training has been a learning experience,” said Lalengmawia Ralte, one of their big-ticket signings who is juggling pursuing a master’s degree in sociology with a professional football.

Along with Mumbai City FC, Mohun Bagan again start favourites. Even though they lost Brandon Fernandes to Mumbai City FC and a semi-final that looked all sewn up, Bandodkar Trophy champions FC Goa, for whom Sandesh Jhingan is back from injury, could have something to say to that. Ditto Odisha FC who had their best season in 23-24.

As was seen last season, the play-off for the top six makes things interesting. It may not be any different in 24-25 with East Bengal having made significant additions in Dimitrios Diamantakos, Hector Yuste and Madih Talal, Owen Coyle looking to rework his magic at Chennaiyin FC and NorthEast being buoyed by early success. Add to that new-look rosters at Punjab FC, Jamshedpur and Kerala Blasters and newbies Mohammedan Sporting capable of introducing an element of the unknown.

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