The much-awaited ISL 2025-2026 Season finally kicked-off this week, a moment of relief and enthusiasm for Indian football fans after months of uncertainty. The late-starting and shortened campaign began in explosive style as the heavyweight clubs set the bar in what looks set to be a closely fought edition of the Indian Super League.
Mohun Bagan SG began with victory
Defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant made their intentions clear in the opening encounter, where they thrashed Kerala Blasters FC 2-0. The Kolkata big guns dominated long spells of the match and displayed their attacking depth despite limited preparation time.
Mohun Bagan SG opened the scoring midway through the first half with an excellent team goal before adding another after half-time to ease out winners. Their defense also showed up, keeping a clean sheet and restricting Kerala Blasters to few opportunities through the match.
The victory will provide an early impetus to Mohun Bagan’s campaign in the ISL 2025-2026 Season while Kerala Blasters need to start afresh from here itself, while considering that they have plenty of games remaining up their sleeve.
Mumbai City FC Noses Ahead Of Chennaiyin FC
In another intense contest, Mumbai City FC edged out Chennaiyin FC 1-0 on Tuesday. The Islanders showed great structure in defence and were clinical in front of goal to run away with all 3 points.
The winning goal came in the second half when a quick attacking transition caught Chennaiyin’s defence napping. Mumbai City then strangled the game in professional fashion, irritating their rivals and killing time as they hung on to a slender advantage until the whistle blew for full-time.
The win sees Mumbai City FC in a strong early position in the ISL 19th Season, while Chennaiyin FC will rue missed chances after having many half-chances but failing to finish.
Truncated Format Adds Extra Pressure
The ISL 2025-2026 Season got off to a strange start after delays in schedule had led organisers to pack the calendar. With fewer matches to play, each point is far more meaningful and teams don’t have the luxury of a lousy start.
Coaches throughout the league have already stressed squad rotation, keeping players and their fitness fresh, tactical options and flexibility as overriding factors that will shape success in this compressed season.
Early Hints of a Competitive Campaign
Opening matches of the 2025-2026 ISL season provided entertaining football even though it started late and had a low attendances. Mohun Bagan SG and Mumbai City FC have struck first, but with the short game play format only time can tell on whose shoulders the tables will turn in the next few weeks.
As the league heats up, fans can anticipate more heavyweight matchups with playoff implications coming earlier than usual. The race for ISL 2025-2026 Season glory has officially kicked off, and it’s started at breakneck speed.