I-League 2024-25 round 10 preview: 3 teams lead the race

New Delhi [India], January 21 : As Round 10 of the I-League starts on Wednesday, the league table paints a contrasting picture. At the summit, teams like Churchill Brothers, Inter Kashi, and Namdhari FC are aiming to build on their momentum and pull away from the pack with each match. At the other end, teams like SC Bengaluru and Aizawl FC are fighting to turn their fortunes around, desperate for wins to escape the threat of relegation.
Churchill Brothers, led by the prolific Wayde Lekay, are gearing up to consolidate their position atop the points table in an upcoming away clash against Rajasthan United FC at the Vidyadhar Nagar Stadium in Jaipur on Saturday at 15:30. The Red Machines have 19 points from nine matches. Lekay, the league's leading scorer with eight goals, has consistently delivered match-winning performances. His goalscoring ability has helped steer his team through tight contests to secure crucial victories, including against Delhi FC last time out. Churchill Brothers will once again rely on him.
Seventh-placed Rajasthan United, on the other hand, will aim to secure a win after drawing their last two games and move up the points table.
Staying close on the heels of Churchill Brothers are second-placed Namdhari FC and third-placed Inter Kashi. Both sides have 17 points from nine games and are poised to capitalize should Churchill slip in their upcoming match. While Namdhari will face a strong challenge from fourth-placed Shillong Lajong at the Namdhari Stadium on Saturday at 13:00, Inter Kashi will head to the EMS Stadium on Friday at 19:00 to face Gokulam Kerala, who occupy the fifth spot in the standings and are yet to win at home this season.
Namdhari have been one of the most formidable teams in the tournament and have remained unbeaten for six matches. The league's third top scorer, Cledson Carvalho Dasilva, has been the driving force behind the Punjab side with five goals. Understandably, Lajong, who have 13 points, will need to put up a unified effort to stop Namdhari. Lajong will rely on the poaching abilities of Douglas Rosa Tardin, who has netted a hat-trick in each of the last two games.
Inter Kashi, who showed great character when they rallied to beat Aizawl FC in their last match, will aim for more consistency as the league progresses. They have had a roller-coaster ride so far, and coach Antonio Lopez Habas will be keen to bring more stability to the side's performance. Their opponents, Gokulam Kerala, though, will be looking to return to winning ways after losing to Namdhari last week.
Round 10 will kick off with a match between Aizawl FC and Delhi FC on Wednesday at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium at 19:00. Both sides have struggled and will aim to turn their fortunes before it becomes too late. While Delhi are placed 10th, Aizawl are 11th in the table. Aizawl are yet to win in the last seven matches despite taking the lead in five of those. Delhi are on the road after four consecutive home matches, where they picked up only four points.
In other matches, the beleaguered SC Bengaluru, who occupy the bottom position, are back on home soil to face ninth-placed Sreenidi Deccan on Friday at the Bangalore Football Stadium at 15:30, while Real Kashmir will lock horns with free-falling Dempo SC in an interesting match-up at the TRC Ground on Sunday at 14:00.
Coached by former India internationals Ishfaq Ahmed and Samir Naik, respectively, both Real Kashmir and Dempo can break into the top half of the table with a win. Currently, Real Kashmir hold the sixth position, while Dempo sit in eighth place. After a terrific start to the campaign, the Golden Eagles have encountered a slump, with just four points in their last six games. The Snow Leopards, in their last match, managed to end their own winless run of five games when they beat SC Bengaluru 3-1 and will look to build on that.