League of extraordinary stars

With commentators shouting out the names of Roberto Carlos, Lúcio, Simao Sabrosa and Helder Postiga, you’d think that you were watching a slightly old video of a fast and exciting international match. Only, these greats are now in India for the second season of the Indian Super League. With 61 matches across eight Indian cities, bringing to light the football of as many regional franchises, the second biggest homegrown football fiesta is off to quite the start. While Bengaluru – which does not have a team in the League – does not have a way of achieving the 10 man draws accomplished by Altetico de Kolkata or the marquee-less victory brought about by an exceptional Kerala Blasters team, football lovers in the city could not be more excited about the ISL.

With most city venues hosting live screenings of the matches along with whatever evening entertainment is on the roster, the 90 minutes of club football have become an weekend staple for the social Bengalurean. Siddhant Vinod, who runs one of the popular pubs in the city, says, “I think, we have one of the biggest screens in the city and we make sure that it is clearly visible to all by placing it on the rooftop. We had screened the ISL last season – something that had pulled a really large crowd and we are all set to begin screening the matches live this season as well. As ever, there is a huge demand for it from Bengaluru’s football loving population.”

On tour for golf games, Anisha Padukone is one football fan who wishes that Bengaluru had a franchise of its own. The 24-year-old says, “I haven’t yet watched any of the matches of the ISL but I cannot wait to go back and start. It’s a great tournament which I followed intently in the last season. I wish Bengaluru had a team of its own, even though we do quite well with Bengaluru FC in the I-League. I probably will support Mumbai City FC this season. It is difficult to pick one international player to watch out for in the tournament as they are all retired greats!”

From the first season itself, the ISL had established itself as a tournament where absolutely anything could happen. Rubbing shoulders with domestic giants Jeje Lalpekhlua and Harmanjot Singh Khabra are the likes of Romanian forward Adrian Mutu, French forward Nicolas Anelka and Brazilian midfielder Elano. City theatre director Ranji David says, “While I usually follow the progresses of European clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea FC or current I-league champions Mohun Bagan FC, I think that Bengaluru’s chances of finding young players who are enthusiastic about taking up the sport as a career would have greatly increased with a franchise on its own where money would be pooled into and resources would be honed. That’s one injustice that Bengaluru has to suffer from because the ISL has been showing incredible domestic talent. City fans too, would obviously have a greater involvement in the tournament.”