“2 European clubs are competing to collaborate with Mohammedan Sporting Club, announcement will be made soon” – Bunkerhill MD Kanishk Sheel

These are exciting times for Mohammedan Sporting Club (MSC). After languishing in the backwaters of Indian football for several decades, they staged a turnaround by winning the second division I-League title and returning to the first-division in October 2020.

Since then, there has been no looking back for the Kolkata giants. Besides clinching the prestigious Calcutta Football League (CFL) title after a 40-year wait, they also finished runners-up in the 130th Durand Cup and the inaugural edition of the Futsal Club Championship.

The Black Panthers recently added another piece of silverware to their trophy cabinet, this time in cricket. Under all-rounder Mita Paul’s captaincy, Mohammedan defeated the Rajasthan Club by seven wickets in the final to claim the inaugural BYJU’s Women’s Bengal T20 Blast title in Kalyani. The tournament was historically significant for Mohammedan as it was the first time they fielded a women’s team in any sport in their 131-year-old history.

It’s fair to say that the seeds of the club’s resurgence have been sown by a Gurugram-based company called Bunkerhill Pvt Ltd, which became Mohammedan’s investor a couple of years back. With its monetary support and expertise in sports management, Bunkerhill has been able to bail Mohammedan out of financial constraints and put the club back at the vanguard of Indian football.

Under Russian head coach Andrey Chernyshov, Mohammedan resumed their I-League 2021-22 campaign with a 2-0 win over Aizawl FC on Thursday, after the tournament was postponed indefinitely due to a spike in COVID-19 cases earlier this year.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda hours before the match, Bunkerhill’s Managing Director Kanishk Sheel confirmed that two famous European clubs are in contention to forge a partnership with Mohammedan Sporting Club soon.

He also revealed that the Kolkata giants will enter the Indian Super League (ISL) by the 2023-24 season and hinted at ongoing talks with some IPL franchises regarding team-building for a Women’s IPL in the future. Here are the excerpts:

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Q: Congratulations on the BYJU’S Women’s Bengal T20 Blast title triumph. It’s a historic achievement for Mohammedan Sporting Club. Kindly let us know about the work that went on behind the scenes, starting with the player auction.

Sheel: Well, we wanted to build a women’s team for Mohammedan Sporting Club from last season itself. Most of the credit (for this achievement) goes to Md. Nasim, our mentor (Priyanka Roy) and coach (Neha Manji).

We relied on their strategy to build the team - whom to pick and whom not to pick at the auction. We supported them from the beginning because we trusted them, and the result is there in front of us. The girls had a fantastic campaign as we dominated all the matches.

Q: Only the two finalists, Mohammedan Sporting Club and Rajasthan Club, are captained by players who haven’t represented India. What was the plan behind making Mita Paul the captain and not going hard for a more experienced player like Rumeli Dhar or Vanitha VR at the auction?

Sheel: It was completely Nasim’s idea. Dipak (Kumar Singh, Bunkerhill's co-founder) and I provided all the financial support, but I would reiterate that Nasim deserves the actual credit. As investors, we don’t want to hog the limelight. We look at the team as a family.

Our aim for this team now is to figure out what all tournaments we can participate in. A lot of discussions are going on about a Women’s IPL. We want to take this team to such a level that it can be a good supply line for some franchises if a Women’s IPL happens soon.

Q: If a Women’s IPL does come into existence in a year or two, will Bunkerhill look to be a part of it in any capacity? Do you think such a tournament has the potential to become commercially viable in the near future?

Sheel: Even if you talk about the Men’s IPL, it took a bit of time to become the phenomenon it is today. Whenever you start a new project, there will always be some hiccups and challenges along the way. You can already feel the winds of change blowing after India’s success at the Tokyo Olympics.

The Government of India is doing a great job in promoting sports other than men’s cricket and wants more corporate organizations to invest in clubs and help them financially. That wasn't the case until a couple of years ago. I believe that a Women’s IPL will be quite successful in the long run even if it takes a bit of time to take off.

We (Bunkerhill) are currently in talks with some IPL franchises regarding the Women’s IPL. It’s a confidential matter, so I can’t disclose anything at this stage. We can formally announce it once the talks come to fruition.

Q: Let’s talk about Mohammedan Sporting Club's football division now. The I-League has finally resumed after a two-month gap. Unlike the other teams, MSC chose not to send their Indian players back home. Whose decision was it and how has it helped in fostering the team spirt?

Sheel: We were very disappointed when the I-League was postponed indefinitely. We all saw that the ISL was happening very smoothly, but the I-League was suspended [laughs].

Anyway, Dipak and I had an elaborate meeting to discuss whether we should send the Indian players back home. Eventually, we decided against it and chose to keep the whole team together in the hotel. When a team lives and eats together, the understanding among the players gets better.

The quarantine period has been tough for every team. Our main apprehension was about the team’s fitness. We didn’t want the players to return home and become unfit. I must say that all the players have responded wonderfully and trained sincerely under the supervision of our head coach and trainers over the past two months. We may have invested a lot of time, money and effort in the process, but in the long run, you’ll understand that our decision was right.

Q: A few months back, Mr. Dipak told Sportskeeda that Mohammedan would collaborate with a European club soon. What's the latest update on that?

Sheel: We’re on the verge of signing a deal, but I can’t divulge the details right now. But I can tell you that we’re in discussions with not one but two famous European clubs. The two clubs are vying to collaborate with Mohammedan Sporting Club. We’re trying to figure out a value proposition for Mohammedan. As soon as we figure out which club is more relevant for us, we’ll sign the deal.

Q: Could you tell us which countries these two clubs belong to? When exactly can we expect the deal to happen?

Sheel: Hopefully, we’ll close the deal in less than a couple of months from now. To answer your other question, one of them is an English club and the other is a Spanish club.

Q: If Mohammedan win the I-League this season, what are the chances of seeing the team in the ISL from next season onwards?

Sheel: We’re desperate to lift the I-League trophy this season and we’ll be in the ISL within the next couple of years. We’ll try our level best to enter the ISL from the 2022-23 season. But if that doesn’t happen, you’ll see Mohammedan Sporting Club in the ISL from the 2023-24 season. That’s for sure.

Q: The ISL is still not a lucrative tournament. Why are so many companies trying to get a slice of it then?

Sheel: That’s a good question. A lot of big companies are there in the ISL to not just make profit; they’re passionate about football and want to promote the sport. We need to follow the blueprint of the IPL. Reliance is responsible for running the ISL and they’re a stakeholder in the IPL too.

A lot of corporate organizations want to be part of the ISL because of Reliance. It’s not just about the money, but also the fame. There are so many corporate giants and celebrities who’re part of the tournament. The ISL is a great league and it gives huge exposure to Indian footballers who can learn so much from top overseas players and coaches.

Q: Irfan Pathan is the brand ambassador of Mohammedan Sporting Club. How did you bring him on board and when is he coming to Kolkata?

Sheel: We have a cricket academy called SportsCube in Gurugram, which Irfan visits at times. One of his closest friends, Manvinder Bisla, is the head coach of our academy. We were looking for a celebrity who would be the perfect brand ambassador for Mohammedan Sporting Club. Dipak and I spoke to some Bollywood celebrities as well, but later on, we thought that it would be good if we could find a sports star.

We spoke to Irfan about this and he agreed to come on board as soon as he got the proposal. I spent a good amount of time with his manager to sort out the legal procedure. After everything was in place, we officially announced him as Mohammedan’s brand ambassador on 27th December 2021. We’ve given him Mohammedan’s kit and he’s very excited to be part of a club with such a rich legacy.

Irfan will certainly come to Kolkata to attend one of Mohammedan’s I-League matches this season. Anytime between the 24th and 25th of April, you’ll see him cheering on Mohammedan in the city [smiles].

Q: What is your message to the Mohammedan Sporting Club fans?

Sheel: We can assure the fans that this is the strongest Mohammedan squad in recent times. Our bench strength is also quite good, so there’s no reason why we can’t win the I-League this season. We’re also investing heavily in youth development so that our own academy can supply quality players to the senior team going forward.

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