The 2025-26 Indian Super League is 21 games into the season, all clubs have now played multiple times, and clear patterns have already emerged.
Almost a quarter of the way through the season, there are signs of a serious title race that could be brewing, while the battle to avoid relegation may just be as intriguing, if not more.
We muse, on games 14 to 21 of the ISL:
The Mohun Bagan juggernaut rolls on
How do you stop them? No, seriously, just how? Robinho put on a masterclass against Mohammedan Sporting, then had to be substituted off, and they had the luxury of bringing on Dimi Petratos. Their second half substitutes included Liston Colaco, Sahal Abdul Samad, and Kiyan Nassiri. Tom Aldred replacing Jason Cummings was the other substitution they made. All those five players who came on would be nailed on as guaranteed starters in any other ISL team this season.
That is what the rest of the league is dealing with. And oh, Jamie Maclaren just keeps scoring. Good luck stopping Mohun Bagan this season.
Jamshedpur are a force
If anyone can, perhaps it is Jamshedpur under Owen Coyle. However, even they are a fair way behind Bagan. They notched up a superb win at the Salt Lake Stadium against East Bengal, but they were also fortunate that they stayed in the game until Rei Tachikawa‘s superbly crafted winner, following good work from Mohammed Sanan and Madih Talal.
East Bengal had enough chances to put that game to bed, but Jamshedpur clung on. That’s why they will be competitive at the top throughout this season. There’s steel built into this side to absorb pressure, and some serious quality in attacking areas. And they have the set-piece threat from Stephen Eze, which helped them draw level in their game against East Bengal.
Coyle’s Jamshedpur are level on points with Bagan, and they look good to stay there, at least until they face Bagan early next month.
Bengaluru dish out a Kanteerava disaster
“We’ve got the ball,” sang the West Block at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, as Bengaluru FC had a rare spell of possession in their game against Punjab FC. A 9,600-strong Friday night crowd were treated to a dismal home performance, as they were barely a threat to Punjab FC in their 2-0 defeat.
The first half, in particular, was woeful from Bengaluru. Punjab ran rings around them, as a defence sans Rahul Bheke lacked any direction or leadership. Nsungusi Effiong scored twice, but both goals were avoidable from a Bengaluru perspective even if deserved for Punjab.
Bengaluru were distinctly second best for an hour but then had a golden chance to come back into the game, which Sunil Chhetri fluffed from point-blank range.
Renedy Singh’s usage of players has been curious as well. Sirojiddin Kuziev, one of two foreigners in the squad, hasn’t started a game yet. Vinith Venkatesh hasn’t had more than small cameos to follow up an impressive last season. Shivaldo Singh hasn’t played a minute yet. Harsh Palande, who made India‘s U-23 squad in the off-season, has not even found himself in the matchday squad.
The likes of youngsters Bungson Singh and Rishi Singh have found their initiation to the ISL very difficult, while experienced hands like Suresh Singh Wangjam and Ashique Kuruniyan have struggled to put their stamp on Bengaluru’s season so far.
Chhangte’s poacher era begins
Mumbai City now have seven points in three games, but they’ve only scored three goals in those three games. Only one Mumbai City player has scored this season, their captain Lallianzuala Chhangte. Unlike the Super Cup and the back end of the last ISL season, Petr Kratky has decided to put an end to the experiment of playing Chhangte in the midfield. Instead, he’s playing on the shoulders of the last man, and sniffing around the box for chances to score.
He equalised for Mumbai City against NorthEast United with a header from a yard out after Jorge Pereyra Díaz‘s shot was saved by Gurmeet Singh and could’ve even won Mumbai City the game a few minutes later, as he attacked a Pereyra Diaz cross at the back-post, but just couldn’t rise high enough.
Mumbai’s play is flowing through the likes of Pereyra Diaz and Joni Kauko, with Chhangte on hand to finish chances so far. He’s scoring goals, he’s confident, that’s good news for both his club and his national team.
Odisha’s impressive start continues
For a team who hadn’t even begun pre-season training when the league had already started, Odisha’s opening two games of this season have been impressive. They’ve held both Inter Kashi and Chennaiyin FC to draws, and there seems to be a nice cohesion to their play already, which is a credit to coach TG Purushothaman.
Carlos Delgado‘s header off a Puitea free kick gave them their first goal of the season in a 1-1 draw against Chennaiyin. It was a game in which Odisha were impressive in defence against a talented Chennaiyin attack, consisting of the likes of Alberto Noguera, Irfan Yadwad, Farukh Choudhary and Imran Khan.
They’ve shown that they can compete with clubs, who on paper, seemed to have better squads on them, and definitely had better preparation than them.
Blasters must fear tough relegation battle
One club who have nothing to build on is the Kerala Blasters. Even their usually fiercely loyal supporters seemed to have deserted them, as the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi wore a deserted look for their 2-1 loss to Inter Kashi.
Head coach David Catala hinted after the game that the Blasters’ financial constraints for this season meant that fans would have to readjust their expectations. However, they seem like a side who don’t know where their next point is coming from.
The Blasters are struggling at both ends of the field. They’ve conceded five times in three games and have scored only once. That goal came after a poor error from Kashi goalkeeper Lluis Tarres. Mohammedan and SC Delhi have conceded more than the Blasters so far, which Is what is keeping one of the ISL’s best-supported team off the foot of the table. The Blasters need to start picking up points soon, and for that performances need to pick up. Otherwise, they could soon be left looking nervously over their shoulders at the second division. *Gulp*.
Faith in Indian attackers continues to pay dividends for NorthEast
NorthEast United don’t have a win yet this season, but for Indian football, their strategy of using three Indians in attack seems like one that will pay long-term dividends.
Obviously, Alaaeddine Ajaraie is not replaceable. He scored 24 of their 48 goals last season. However, in their last two games, they’ve shown that they’ve got a collective that can keep them competitive.
Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia followed up his stunning goal against Bengaluru FC last week with an assist against Mumbai City this week, even if he knew little about. Jithin MS found himself on the scoresheet, while Parthib Gogoi continues to rack up minutes of top-tier competitive football.
Lalbiakdika, who came on as a late substitute, also had an impressive cameo, even if he did miss a presentable opportunity late on. All these young Indian attackers have a coach in Juan Pedro Benali who trusts them to come up with the output. So far, they’ve repaid the coach’s faith in two tough away games in Bengaluru and Mumbai.
