Mohun Bagan starts 2010-11 iLeague venture on 3rd December 2010. There will be 14 clubs for India’s highest football league competition. ONGC and HAL qualified from 2nd Division while AIFF XI (with India U-19 players) will be there. No player from the Indian National squad will be there in iLeague for the first 6 weeks.
The AIFF started the iLeague in 2007-08 after scrapping off the National League. Mohun Bagan failed to win a single iLeague title since the launch. Dempo sports Club won 2007-08 and 2009-2010 while churchill Brothers won 2008-09. Mohun Bagan’s standing are as follows
2007-08 – 4th (30 points from 18 matches)
2008-09 – 2nd (43 points from 22 matches)
2009-10 – 5th (36 points from 26 matches)
Though Bagan’s performance is best among the teams of Kolkata in iLeague till date, 3 times champion of the National League failed to win the iLeague since its inception. Incidentally Bagan won the Kolkata League title for these three seasons – and in a recent TV programme before the penaltimate match of Kolkata League that Bagan went down 0-2, the club’s Hon. General Secretary exclaimed that he is ready to concede the Kolkata League if that brings in the iLeague title for Bagan this season.
Bagan’s key strikers Barreto, Chidi and Muritala are among top 10 scorers of iLeague as follows
Chidi (ranked 5th) – 26 goals
Barreto (ranked 8th) – 24 goals
Muritala (ranked 10th) – 22 goals
But the top scorer of iLeague, Odafe Okolie has scored 80 goals alone in the iLeague and is far ahead of Ranty Martins (42 goals)
Bagan has played 66 matches in iLeague till date and is 3rd best team after Churchill Brothers and Dempo SC. Bagan has won 31 matches while lost 19 matches in iLeague in last 3 seasons.
Bagan has scored 100 goals while conceded 80 in last three seasons.
Bagan has a slight edge in home matches against the away matches. Bagan won 24% of the home matches in comparison to 23% of away matches. However Bagan’s big wins usually have come from away matches.
Some of Bagan’s big wins –
2009-10
vs Air India (4-0 & 5-0)
vs Chirag United (5-1)
vs Pune Fc (3-1)
vs Kingfisher East Bengal (5-3)
2008-09
vs Mumbai FC( 3-0)
vs Vasco SC (3-0)
2007-08
vs Salgaokar SC (5-4)