A notification outside the Ambedkar Stadium has September 11 written as the revised date for the Durand Cup. The revision has been forced not because of a change in schedule but in an attempt to pull in the crowds by highlighting the quarter-final league teams that include all the top clubs in the country. The two Kolkata clubs East Bengal and Mohun Bagan will be seen in action together in the tournament after two years and will expectedly be the top draws. Churchill Brothers,having made it to the IFA Shield final,have been placed in Group 1,swapping places with Mahindra United to ensure they do not miss their opening game the IFA Shield final is on September 12. Another change will see the two semi-finals being played over two days (September 19 and 20),considering the schedule and the load the nine I-League teams will be carrying from the Shield. Also,all quarter-final league matches will be played under floodlights,instead of just the semi-finals and the final like last year. With most of the India players in action,there will be no shortage of star power in the tournament,though Fridays opener between between Air India and Army XI may not be ranked too high on that front. Air India,under Bimal Ghosh,have long been a bunch of unknowns with the occasional knock-out punch,but with 12 new signings this year,Ghosh feels his team can go all the way. Weve always been like this,never consolidating on our I-League berth and just upsetting a few big teams. But this year were ready. Behrem Mohammad Reza from Iran will join ND Opara upfront and it will be one of the best strike partnerships, Ghosh said. Army XI had won in 2005,beating Sporting Clube de Goa on penalties. S Raleng was a rising star then and was 2008 Santosh Tophys highest scorer with 13 goals for the Services. We have the same XI that Services played in the Santosh Trophy. Our strikers,S Raleng and SK Tuboi will have a big role to play against Air India tomorrow, Siddhartha Chattopadhyay,Army XI coach,said.
