Bengaluru FC qualify for the ISL 2022-23 playoffs

The Blues beat herculean odds to ensure a playoff berth in the ongoing league campaign.

Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Bengaluru FC has successfully qualified for the playoffs of the 2022-23 campaign. FC Goa’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of Chennaiyin FC confirmed playoff qualification for the Blues. It is a massive achievement for Simon Grayson and co who started the season on a terrible note. 

There was a point when Bengaluru FC won only three of their first 12 fixtures in the league. The performances were poor and the results were not going their way. However, in a show of incredible resilience, the Blues managed to win seven games in a row to enter the top-six positions of the league table.

BFC has 31 points from 19 matches with 10 wins, one draw and eight defeats; enough to secure a berth in the ISL 2022-23 playoffs. 

Race for the playoffs

The race for the playoffs this season is intense. Teams like Kerala Blasters FC, Chennaiyin FC, Odisha FC, FC Goa, ATK Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC were vying for the remaining spots after Mumbai City FC and Hyderabad FC secured the top two places. 

The 2022-23 season of the ISL will see six teams making it into the playoffs. As it happens, the top two teams enter the semi-finals directly while the remaining four play a preliminary round before joining them. 

Bengaluru FC beat Mumbai City FC by 2-1 on 15 February 2023 to end their hopes of finishing the season without conceding a defeat. Simon Grayson’s men won their seventh match in a row in the process of handing the Islanders their first defeat of the season. The winners of the 2018-19 season will now have a chance of adding a second Indian Super League title to their trophy locker.