Kolkata Derby Postponed due to Election Results in West Bengal

Whenever the fixtures of a national level tournament are released, Indian football fans look for one particular game, the Kolkata Derby, a fierce rivalry that has witnessed many upsets, created legends and stood the test of time for over a hundred years. 

Due to a late start of the leagues, the Indian Super League has been reduced to a single-leg competition for this season. Instead of 26 games, each team will only be playing 13 games, facing each team only once. This creates the Derby far more important, not only for the teams, but also for the supporters of the two historic sides.

However, with the Legislative Assembly elections of West Bengal scheduled to be held in two phases, on April 23rd and April 29th, and the results to be announced on 4th May, the highly anticipated match between the two giants had to be postponed. In an official notification, it was announced that the ISL match between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC, originally scheduled to be played on May 3rd, has been rescheduled to May 17th. The match will now be played two weeks later than the original date with the kick-off time being 19:30 and the iconic Salt Lake Stadium being the venue. 

Both Mohun Bagan SG and East Bengal FC started the ISL with wins and have played 6 games each. Both of them have already defeated another Kolkata rival, Mohammedan SC, with MBSG winning 5-1 against them and EBFC winning with a record-breaking scoreline of 7-0. Mohun Bagan SG are now at 2nd position with 13 points in 6 games and a goal difference of +11, while East Bengal FC are at 4th position, heaving earned 11 points from 6 games and a goal difference of +12. The Kolkata Derby is shaping up to become a decisive game in the title race for both teams.

 

Mohun Bagan SG vs East Bengal FC

Date: 17th May, 2026 (Sunday)

Kick-off: 19:30

Venue: Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan