Three teams that could be involved in I-League 2021-22 relegation battle

These outfits will need to pull out big performances to avoid the drop.

The I-League 2021-22 is near and the excitement for its start is high amongst the fans. Kolkata will play host to the league tournament under a secure bio-bubble due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India. There will be many new faces in the upcoming edition and it will be interesting to see how the new entrants change the complexion of the overall competition.

As it happens, the I-League has a promotion/relegation system, which is not present at another premier league competition in India. This makes the competition tougher and the stakes remain high even for the lower-ranked teams in the points table. The upcoming season will be tough on and off the pitch due to the bio-bubble conditions and breakneck competition respectively.

There is one relegation spot which means the bottom-placed team will drop down by the end of the season to the second division I-League. Focusing towards the sides that may find the going very tough, here are the three teams that will likely be involved in the relegation battle in I-League 2021-22:

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NEROCA FC

NEROCA FC had a very disappointing campaign last year where the outfit barely avoided relegation due to AIFF’s generosity. The outfit finished bottom with eight points from 14 games after the conclusion of the relegation stage. The governing body for football in India exempted NEROCA from relegation citing the Covid-19 pandemic conditions. With 10 defeats in 14 matches, the side only collected eight points, concluding a majorly underwhelming season.

The squad lacks a foreign presence in the midfield. Players like Juan Mera and Sergio Mendigutxia may change their fortunes but it will add a lot of pressure on the foreigners nonetheless. If the performances do not improve from last year, then the club could see itself fighting relegation again and may not get any exemption this time.

Sudeva Delhi FC

Sudeva Delhi finished fourth from the bottom last season. Indian Arrows and Chennai City were between the outfit and bottom-placed NEROCA. Indian Arrows are obviously exempt from relegation and Chennai City is not part of the competition this year. This means Sudeva Delhi is one of the weakest teams, judging by their performance from the previous season.

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Sudeva Delhi finished with 18 points with only five wins out of 14 matches. The outfit does not have any foreign players and has one of the youngest teams in the division. The departure of players like Kean Lewis and Manvir Singh could also bite back to hurt their chances in I-League 2021-22. 

Kenkre FC

Kenkre FC became the latest entrants in the I-League after Chennai City FC’s withdrawal. The Mumbai-based club finished second to Rajasthan United in the I-League 2nd Division, narrowly missing out on promotion to the I-League. However, things took a good turn for them when CFC revealed it would not be taking part, which meant Kenkre FC would take their place as the second-placed team from the I-League Qualifiers.

Having said that, the team will find it tough to compete with the other I-League teams in the 2021-22 season. They did not have enough time to prepare for the competition and must take part after last-minute preparations. The roster consists of largely domestic players with Zacharie Mbenda as the sole foreigner. Manager Akhil Kothari is only 26-years-old and it will be interesting to see how he leads the team against experienced tacticians. 

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