Mumbai: Two months, injuries, red cards, last-minute finishes, fist-fight (apparently) and heated exchanges – Indian Super League (ISL) had the ingredients of a blockbuster. On Saturday, it is curtains for the star-studded tournament with Atletico De Kolkata (ATK) and Kerala Blasters FC (KBFC) fighting for the title.
If it is a mega sports event in India, cricket is omnipresent and the tie is labelled as Sourav Ganguly versus Sachin Tendulkar (both being co-owners of the respective franchises).
But ATK will miss the services of their main striker Fikru Teferra – the find of the tournament who scored five goals for the team. His hamstring tear ruled him out of the final.
ATK suffered a slump after early glories. They lost steam and limped to the semifinal stage. They beat FC Goa on penalties (4-2) and could not convert their chances during the 90 minutes. They have managed only one win in their last 12 outings.
On the other hand, KBFC climbed up after starting slow. The got the better of the dangerous Chennaiyin FC on aggregate (4-3 in the semifinals).
But ATK is blessed to have Cavin Lobo back, who could do some magic upfront supported by Jofre Mateu apart from marquee player Luis Garcia.
For the team from South India, Iain Hume is expected to lead from the front with Mehtab Hossain and Stephen Pearson. Michael Chopra is likely to provide the extra spunk and glamour.
