The I-League season is scheduled to start, and our in-house experts pick their sides. Bookmark the page, and ridicule us come the end of season.
Rohith Nair (@rohithnair)
Bengaluru FC were four minutes away from defending their first I-League title in 2015 before Mohun Bagan snatched it at the Kanteerava. However, the Blues did manage to win it back with a game to spare last season.
This season, I expect them to defend their title after the strong squad they have built in the off-season. While most I-League clubs have had six months off thanks to the Indian Super League, the Bengaluru still managed to stay together thanks to their AFC Cup commitments.
Having reached the final, beating some fancied teams along the way, Albert Roca has managed to get the best out of a team that was very short on match practice. Mohun Bagan will be right up there competing for top spot and so will a new-look East Bengal side under the returning Trevor Morgan.
But Bengaluru have strengthened positions across the pitch while simultaneously retaining a core that is no stranger to winning games. Roca's tactics are also slightly different to those employed by former coach Ashley Westwood and it has improved the side. Anything less than a title win would be a failure for the club.
Anirudh Menon (@animenon19)
Bengaluru FC, the defending champions, have many things going for them - they have the inspiration that is Sunil Chhetri, CK Vineeth in red-hot form, Eugeneson Lyngdoh to marshall the midfield and John Johnson in defence. They form part of a well-balanced squad that looks set to defend their title... but there may be a confusion in philosophy that may see them struggle to adapt initially.
The departure of Alvaro Rubio would have hampered Albert Roca's "project" as he calls it, and while "tiki-long, taka-goal" sounds brilliant, it may not yield results just yet. Mohun Bagan, Aizawal, DSK Shivajians and the rest of the chasing pack have a way to go before they can match BFC's squad strength.With some tremendous squad depth- East Bengal - are more than a match for the defending champions.
They have talent throughout their squad, but it is that central midfield combination of Mehtab Hossain and Rowllin Borges that tips the scales in favour of the Bengali giants, for me.My pick for the League: East Bengal (BFC runners' up).
Sunaadh Sagar (@sunaadh)
It's hard to look past Bengaluru FC for the I-League title. While the likes of Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are better on the day, the consistency that runs within the defending champions will tell in the long run.
Albert Roca has not just retained Ashley Westwood's championship winning principles but has elevated them - with BFC showing a fluency going forward in their AFC Cup run that wasn't there before. The strong Indian core of Sunil Chhetri, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, CK Vineeth and Harmanjot Khabra know what it takes to win, and they will be lifting the I-League trophy come May.
Soumalya Moitra (@soumalyamoitra7)
Ahead of every season of the I-League, you could point to a club and say, it is theirs to lose. This season, it is quite the contrary, the usual suspects (Mohun Bagan, Bengaluru FC and East Bengal) have strengthened considerably, and this will be a long a gruelling season. Unfamiliarity festers though without a Goan powerhouse.
I am forced to choose Mohun Bagan, forced by my heart. The Green and Maroon Brigade have without any doubt one of the strongest squads in the League. The front three of Katsumi Yusa, Sony Norde and Jeje is especially drool-worthy.
Given that Sanjoy Sen shores up that defence, and keeps playing them the way they did in the last couple of years, the I-League will come home (yes, HOME). Yes, also keep winning those big ones against East Bengal, and ‘Aol ‘ll be well’.
