The new season of Indian football will get underway with the Kolkata derby as Mohun Bagan Super Giant takes on traditional rival East Bengal FC in the Group A fixture of the 135th Durand Cup at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.
Being one of the oldest tournaments in the world, the Durand Cup fittingly begins with the country’s biggest and oldest football rivalry. East Bengal enters the competition as the reigning Indian Super League champion while Bagan, runner-up in the top division last season, will also be eager to make a winning start to its campaign.
East Bengal will be managed by Spaniard Antonio Lopez Habas, who previously guided both Bagan and the erstwhile ATK to ISL titles. Bagan, meanwhile, will begin a new chapter under Greek coach Panagiotis Dilmperis after the 51-year-old’s move from Punjab FC.
The tournament has lost some of its sheen amid uncertainty over the domestic football calendar. With the schedule for the top-flight league yet to be finalised, several ISL clubs have opted to skip the competition. Most participating teams are yet to complete their pre-season preparations, leaving the Durand Cup without a full-strength field despite its status in recent years as the traditional curtain-raiser to the Indian football season.
(The tournament will be shown live on Sony Sports Ten 5, with live streaming available on Sony LIV)
Published – July 25, 2026 03:19 pm IST
