Revealed: Which team has the best home record in the ISL?

Dominance at home has often proved a deciding factor for consistency in the league.

As all footballing activities have been brought to a halt by the threat of the coronavirus pandemic and with no sporting activities to look forward to in the near future, it offers a valuable opportunity to look back and analyze the performances of the teams as well as the players. With six entertaining editions of the Indian Super League done and dusted, we decided to take a look at how the ISL sides have fared in front of their respective fanbases during the entire course of the competition.

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FC Goa have cemented themselves as one of the most feared and formidable outfits in the last six editions of the league. With a gloriously entertaining and attacking approach, they have eviscerated teams and gracefully danced their way to a couple of finals as well as three semis. The only year they failed to qualify for the playoffs was in 2016 when they finished rock bottom, which spelled the end for Zico’s managerial reign at the club.

As you might have rightly presumed, Goa possesses a stellar record at the Fatorda Stadium, which has quietly turned into a fortress for the ISL entertainers. In the six-year history of the league, Goa have collected more points at home than any other opposition in the league. They have accumulated 90 points from a possible 144 in the league stages and unsurprisingly have scored the most number of goals at home (116). Moreover, they have secured the highest number of victories (29) and an impressive record of 29 wins, 10 draws, and 15 defeats represent their dominance over the years.  

While FC Goa have won the most games in the league, Bengaluru FC have the highest win%

Talking about immaculate records on home soil, it would be a scandalous act not to mention Bengaluru FC. Following their introduction into the ISL in 2017-18, the Blues have made a remarkable impact in a short period, as they reached the final in their first season, won the title in the second and lost to eventual champions ATK in the semis in the last campaign.

As mentioned earlier, Goa have the most number of home wins, but the Blues possess a better record than their counterparts do. Their average points per game are 2.22 compared to Goa’s 1.83 and they have conceded a mere 23 goals across 31 matches. Interestingly, they have won 21 games at home ( 21W- 6D-4L) which is one less than the number of victories Chennaiyin FC have mustered at home ( 22W-15D-15L) despite not being a part of the first three seasons of the competition, underlining their stupendous showings at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

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Unlike their southern rivals, Chennaiyin FC do not posses a sparkling record on their own turf. The two-time champions have accumulated 69 points playing at home and have scored 96 goals – second only to Goa, but at the same time have shipped 69 goals in 52 home fixtures, which is 1.32 goals per game - a touch on the higher side.

However, their home record in the playoffs is flawless. The Marina Machans haven't lost a single home leg, with four wins out of four and have scored no less than 13 goals. They have also conceded a mere two goals, giving themselves the best possible chance to progress to the final, which they have successfully managed to do on three of the four occasions.

Three-time winners of the ISL and recently crowned champions, ATK have a similar record to Chennai. Antonio Habas’ side has recorded 22 wins, 14 draws, and 16 defeats in their time in the top tier of Indian football. Collecting a respectable 70 points at home doesn’t reflect any overpowering supremacy on their part. However, a total of 66 away points represent consistency in results and performance irrespective of the external factors, an admirable aspect of their game that has paved the way for their steady success over a prolonged period.

Next up are Mumbai City FC, who have quite a peculiar home record. Their tally of 23 wins, 8 draws, and 19 defeats do not have the air of anything particularly spectacular. But a deeper comparison with the rest has laid bare a fascinating revelation. The Islanders have the second-highest amount of victories (23) behind only FC Goa whilst simultaneously having the least number of draws(7) excluding Bengaluru and Jamshedpur FC and second-highest number of defeats(19) indicating they operate at extremes with definite results, a defining feature at the Mumbai Football Arena. NorthEast United haven’t been successful in making their mark in the ISL and have an unglamorous record (16W- 15D-18L) at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati collecting 60 points from a total of 144 in the league stages and the Highlanders will be hoping to improve their results at home.

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Switching our focus to the south of the country, Kerala Blasters with a tally of 18W-20D-13L have the highest number of draws in the league and have conceded the lowest number of goals (51) among teams that have been part of the tournament since it’s inception in 2014.  Launched in 2017, Jamshedpur FC has a respectable home record (11-8-8) and has amassed 41 points from a total of 81. In that period, they have scored 38 goals and conceded 39 with a couple of fifth-place finishes and a disappointing eighth-place finish last season.

Lastly, brand-new entrants Odisha FC and Hyderabad FC replaced Delhi Dynamos and Pune City FC respectively this season. The former has 19 wins, 19 draws, and 12 defeats and has scored at a healthy rate at home with 86 strikes across 50 matches. Meanwhile, the latter has a respectable home record ( 17W- 12D-20L) but endured a disastrous campaign last term as they finished bottom of the table with a meager tally of 10 points (7 at home). Both have decent home records but relatively poor away results have hampered their ambitions of challenging for a playoff spot.

(* The home records of Delhi Dynamos and Pune City FC have been used in addition/combination with those of Odisha FC and Hyderabad FC respectively as the former changed their base to Bhubaneswar whilst the latter faced financial trouble forcing them to change ownership and relocate to Hyderabad.)

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