Past ISL record
Runners-up (2014), Eight (2015)
The big picture
Kerala Blasters (KBFC) are by far the best-supported team in the Indian Super League, with their southern derby against Chennaiyin FC (CFC) in the inaugural year drawing in a crowd in excess of 61,000. 2014 was a roller-coaster ride for the Blasters, co-owned by Sachin Tendulkar, as they scored just nine goals and scraped through to the playoffs, before pulling off a 4-3 aggregate win over CFC to secure a place in the final, losing 1-0 to Atletico de Kolkata (ATK).
In 2015, they began with a resounding 3-1 win at home over NorthEast United (NEUFC), but only registered two more wins through the rest of the league. The 27 goals they conceded was also a record for any team in the league phase across both seasons, and managerial changes from Peter Taylor to Trevor Morgan, through to Terry Phelan never allowed the team to settle.
The boss
Sachin Tendulkar has new co-owners, including actors Chiranjeevi and Akkineni Nagarjuna for company this season, though one thing that has remained constant is their fondness for British coaches. If David James was KBFC player-coach in 2014, this year the dugout will be helmed by Manchester United and England winger Steve Coppell. As manager, Coppell did wonders with teams like Reading and Crystal Palace in the past, though his stint at Manchester City in 1996 was one of the shortest ever at the club. Coppell has been a frequent visitor to India as a television pundit, though, and would be expected to work well with a team that comprises a few new faces this time.
The marquee
Aaron Hughes will turn 37 in the course of this ISL season, but his records for club and country speak for themselves. The first outfield player to notch up a 100 caps for Northern Ireland, Hughes also has 455 Premier League appearances without a red card, a record bettered only by Ryan Giggs. The former Newcastle United, Fulham and Aston Villa first-team regular can play across all positions in defence, and his contribution in taking Northern Ireland to the round of 16 on Euro debut this year should give him the confidence to make an impression for KBFC.
The other key players
KBFC have two key players from their 2014 campaign returning at two ends of the pitch. French defender Cedric Hengbart represented NEUFC last season, while Michael Chopra returns to the team he had nearly helped win the inaugural title, but for a toe-poke that went agonisingly wide in the first ISL final. Sandesh Jhingan was the ISL's Best Emerging Player in 2014, suffered a dip in form last year, and will be eager to re-establish why he is considered a big player. The signing of Thongkhosiem Haokip, who remains one of only two Indians to have scored an ISL hat-trick, and Mohammad Rafique, whose late goal helped ATK beat KBFC to the title in 2014, promises goals.
Opening match: v NorthEast United, Saturday, October 1, Guwahati.
