Inaugural winners Bengaluru FC chase another Super Cup silverware as they take on I-League runners-up Inter Kashi.
Bengaluru FC vs Inter Kashi (BEN vs IK) Match Details
Date: Wednesday, 23 April 2025
Time: 16:30 (IST)
Venue: Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar
Bengaluru FC vs Inter Kashi (BEN vs IK) Match Preview
Despite turning their form around in the playoffs, Bengaluru FC were left heartbroken as they lost yet another ISL Cup final to Shield winners Mohun Bagan Super Giant. The Blues put up an excellent fight and even took the lead when Ryan Williams’ cross was accidentally turned into his own net by Bagan’s centre-back Alvaro Rodriguez. However, the Mariners responded strongly, equalising from the spot before finding the winner in extra time. Gerard Zaragoza’s side lost the chance of ending the ISL on a high, but they still have much to play for to win a trophy and book a place in continental football next season. The Kalinga Super Cup offers them the chance, a competition they won at its inception in 2018 and reached the final in 2023, giving them experience and an abundance of motivation. Bengaluru FC have not taken any silverware in the past three seasons, which is concerning for an ambitious club like them. Hence, they will take the tournament seriously and want to clear the challenge of I-League side Inter Kashi without any hiccups to reach the quarterfinals.
After a long delay in deciding the I-League winners, following Inter Kashi and Churchill Brothers both engaging in a title-winning celebration on the final day despite the latter finishing top of the table, the club from Goa was officially declared the champions by AIFF after the appeal committee overturned the decision of the disciplinary committee to give Kashi all three points in a match they lost to Namdhari FC based on the complaint that the opposition fielded an ineligible player. The Uttar Pradesh club will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), an international body to settle disputes in sports, hoping to gain a favourable ruling. Amid the chaos, Inter Kashi will participate in the Super Cup with a massive challenge of facing a former winner who thrashed them in the Durand Cup last year and played a 1-1 draw in the Super Cup meeting. Habas’s team is eager to cause an upset here, hoping to escape the disappointment of missing out on promotion to the ISL and strengthen their case in the tournament.
Recent Form
BEN: LWWLL
IK: WDWDW
Bengaluru FC vs Inter Kashi (BEN vs IK) Predicted Lineups
Bengaluru FC
Gurpreet Singh; Namgyal Bhutia, Rahul Bheke, Chinglensana, Roshan; Alberto Noguera, Suresh Wangjam; Ryan Williams, Sunil Chhetri, Edgar Mendez; Jorge Diaz
Inter Kashi
Arindam Bhattacharya; Sarthak Golui, Bijoy Varghese, David Humanese, Narayan Das; Nikola Stojanovic, Joni Kauko, Sumeet Passi, Bryce Miranda; Edmund Lalrindika, Marco Villar
Bengaluru FC vs Inter Kashi (BEN vs IK) Squads
Bengaluru FC
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Lalthuammawia Ralte, Sahil Poonia
Defenders: Rahul Bheke, Chinglensana Singh, Aleksandar Jovanovic, Mohammed Salah, Namgyal Bhutia, Harsh Palande, Nikhil Poojary, Naorem Roshan,
Midfielders: Harsh Patre, Suresh Wangjam, Alberto Noguera, Soham Varshneya, Pedro Capó, Shreyas Ketkar, Lalremtluanga Fanai, Shivaldo Singh, Vinith Venkatesh
Forwards: Ryan Williams, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Sunil Chhetri, Edgar Méndez, Halicharan Narzary, Rohit Danu, Jorge Díaz, Kelvin Singh
Head Coach: Gerard Zaragoza
Inter Kashi
Goalkeepers: Shuubham Das, Sharon, Arindam Bhattacharja
Defenders: Aritra Das, David Humanese, Bijoy Varghese, Sandip Mandi, Anil Chawan, Narayan Das, Ashray Bhardwaj, Sarthak Golui, Kojam Beyong, Deepak Devrani
Midfielders: Mohammed Asif, Joni Kauko, Vikash Singh, Karthik Panicker, Sweden Fernandes, Haomba Singh, Nikola Stojanovic, Sumeet Passi, Sheikh Sahil
Forwards: Marco Villar, Edmund Lalrindika, Bidyasagar Singh, Prasanth K, Matija Babovic, Bryce Miranda
Head Coach: Antonio Habas
Bengaluru FC vs Inter Kashi (BEN vs IK) Head-to-head (all competitions)
Played - 2
BEN won - 1
Drawn - 1
IK won - 0
Bengaluru FC vs Inter Kashi (BEN vs IK) Dream11 Prediction
Both teams are motivated to shake off their recent disappointments, but Bengaluru FC are in a better mind-space than Inter Kashi, which will influence their game. Also, with a better strike force and the luxury of using more foreigners on the frontline in this tournament, the Blues should be comfortable winners in this tie. We predict a 3-0 victory for Gerard Zaragoza’s men.
Bengaluru FC vs Inter Kashi (BEN vs IK) Dream11 Team Top picks
Captain Pick: Sunil Chhetri
Vice-captain Pick: Alberto Noguera, Edgar Mendez, Nikola Stojanovic
Our top choice for the BEN vs IK Dream11 team is Sunil Chhetri, the all-time top scorer in the Super Cup, with nine goals. The skipper also had the best scoring season in the ISL since his debut campaign with 14 goals, having scored in this fixture last time.
BEN vs IK Dream11 Team Suggestion
GK: Gurpreet (Cr - 8)
DEF: Bheke (Cr - 9), Humanese (Cr - 8.5), Roshan (Cr - 8.5)
MID: Williams (Cr - 8), Noguera (Cr - 8.5), Stojanovic (Cr - 8.5), Passi (Cr - 8)
FW: Lalrindika Cr - 8), Mendez (Cr - 8.5), Chhetri (Cr - 8.5)
Vice-captain: Alberto Noguera
Captain: Sunil Chhetri
