Kerala Blasters: The Yellow Army

Founded: 27th May 2014

Owners: Magnum Sports Private Limited

Stadium: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi

Titles: 0

About

Kerala Blasters have been one of the most popular franchises in the Indian Super League. They have amassed a huge number of followers on social media and are one of the widely supported clubs across Asia.

Their fan base is known for their passionate support towards their club and throng to the stadium in large numbers on matchdays. Sachin Tendulkar used to be an owner of the franchise as he had a 20 per cent stake in the club but later he decided to sell off his stake four years later.

Kerala haven’t been that much consistent over the years but they have been an integral part of the ISL since its inception.

Due to the covid-19 pandemic, they had suffered a bit financially but with time passing they have stabilised their condition and now are one of the contenders for the playoffs. Kerala are yet to win an ISL title and they should dream big despite having a tough last season.

Kerala Blasters: Results in Indian Super League

YearResults
2014-15Runners up
2015-168th
2016-17Runners up
2017-186th
2018-199th
2019-207th
2020-2110th

Kerala managed just two playoffs appearances and both the time they had to return empty handed after losing in the ISL final. They lost to ATK in the inaugural edition and again couldn’t pass the ATK hurdle back in the 2016-17 season.

They finished 7th in the 2019-20 season and had a poor last season as they finished at the bottom of the table.

Kerala Blasters: Top Scorers in ISL

YearPlayerAppearancesGoals
2013-14Iain Hume 165
2014-15Antonio German96
2015-16C.K. Vineeth65
2017-18Iain Hume125
2018-19Matej Poplatnik164
2019-20Bartholomew Ogbeche1615
2020-21Jordan Murray197

Bartholomew Ogbeche has been a prolific scorer in the Indian Super League. He scored 15 times for Kerala in the 2019-20 season. The Nigerian arrived from another ISL outfit NorthEast United on a free transfer and took very little time to settle in.

Kerala Blasters: ISL 2021-22 Fixtures

DateDayFixtureVenueTime (IST)
November 19, 2021FridayATK Mohun Bagan vs KBFCPJN Stadium, Fatorda7:30 PM IST
November 25, 2021ThursdayNorthEast United FC vs KBFCPJN Stadium, Fatorda7:30 PM IST
November 28, 2021SundayBengaluru FC vs KBFCAthletic Stadium, Bambolim 7:30 PM IST
December 5, 2021SundayKBFC vs Odisha FCTilak Maidan Stadium7:30 PM IST
December 12, 2021SundaySC East Bengal vs KBFCTilak Maidan Stadium7:30 PM IST
December 19, 2021SundayMumbai City FC vs KBFCPJN Stadium, Fatorda7:30 PM IST
December 22, 2021WednesdayChennaiyin FC vs KBFCTilak Maidan Stadium7:30 PM IST
December 26, 2021SundayKBFC vs Jamshedpur FCTilak Maidan Stadium7:30 PM IST
January 2, 2022SundayKBFC vs FC GoaTilak Maidan Stadium7:30 PM IST
January 9, 2022SundayKBFC vs Hyderabad FCTilak Maidan Stadium7:30 PM IST
January 12, 2022WednesdayOdisha FC vs KBFCTilak Maidan Stadium7:30 PM IST
January 16, 2022SundayKBFC vs Mumbai City FCTilak Maidan Stadium7:30 PM IST
January 20, 2022ThursdayKBFC vs ATK Mohun BaganTilak Maidan Stadium7:30 PM IST
January 30, 2022SundayKBFC vs Bengaluru FCTilak Maidan Stadium7:30 PM IST
February 4, 2022FridayKBFC vs NorthEast United FCTilak Maidan Stadium7:30 PM IST
February 11, 2022FridayJamshedpur FC vs KBFCBambolim Athletic Stadium7:30 PM IST
February 15, 2022TuesdayKBFC vs Chennaiyin FCTilak Maidan Stadium7:30 PM IST
February 19, 2022SaturdayHyderabad FC vs KBFCJawaharlal Nehru Stadium7:30 PM IST
February 28, 2022MondayKBFC vs SC East BengalTilak Maidan Stadium7:30 PM IST
March 5, 2022SaturdayFC Goa vs KBFCBambolim Athletic Stadium7:30 PM IST

Kerala Blasters: Squad for ISL 2021-22

Goalkeepers: Karanjit Singh, Sachin Suresh, Prabhsukhan Gill, Muheet Khan

Defenders: Bijoy V, Enes Sipovic, Jessel Carneiro, Marko Leskovic, Nishu Kumar, Ruivah Hormipam, Sanjeev Stalin, Sandeep Singh, Denechandra Meitei

Midfielders: Adrian Luna, Ayush Adhikari, Givson Singh, Harmanjot Khabra, Jeakson Singh, Lalthathanga Khawlhring, Sahal Abdul Samad, Vincy Barretto, Prasanth Karuthadathkuni

Forwards: Alvaro Vazquez, Anil Gaonkar, Chencho Gyeltshen, Jorge Diaz, Rahul KP

Kerala roped in a number of foreign players with the likes of Adrian Luna, Enes Sipovic and Alvaro Vazquez this summer. They also signed Bhutanese winger Chencho Gyeltshen on a free transfer to boost their attacking contingent.

The emergence of Sahal Abdul Samad has also been very encouraging for the Blasters. The midfielder has already found the net 4 times this season and is gunning for more.

KBFC: Interesting ISL stats

Kerala Blasters had just two wins in the 2018-19 season which is a joint record for the fewest wins in a season. They have also drawn 49 matches the most in the Indian Super League so far.

KBFC: Rivalries

The South Indian derby of the Indian Super League occurs between three teams- Kerala Blasters, Chennaiyin FC and Bengaluru FC. Along with the matches, the competition between the fans is also exciting as they are often engaged in various banters and activities on social media on matchdays.

Kerala Blasters vs Bengaluru FC Head to Head

Matches PlayedWonLostTied
9252

Kerala Blasters vs Chennaiyin FC Head to Head

Matches PlayedWonLostTied
17467

Road Ahead for KBFC

Frequent changes in coaches have often dealt a blow to Kerala Blasters across the seasons. The side has gone on to change so many managers in the recent past which seems to have hurt their rebuilding process.

They have had their preseason prior to the start of this season and have managed to stay at the top as of now. Sahal has finally managed to have his breakthrough season as the midfielder is finally paying dividends for having patience on the pitch.

He has influenced a lot of games this time and has been dictating matches on his own. He needs to be at his best if Kerala are to reach the playoffs for the third time in the ISL.

Jorge Diaz and Alvaro Vazquez have formed a lethal attacking lineup that could cause havoc in the opposition ranks. In Adrian Luna, the Blasters have one of the most creative playmakers of ISL and his attacking antics could be a big boost for the southern giants in this later stage.

They should make it to the playoffs if they perform like this on the pitch.