The 34-day tournament played across three states for the first time will culminate with the 47th and final match between two top teams and former champions of the Indian Super League (ISL), India's topmost football division. While BFC would be fighting for its seventh domestic title, MCFC
BFC too have had stops and starts in their campaign and scraped through a 10-man Odisha FC in the quarter-finals, with the last touch winner from Roy Krishna following a monumental blunder by the Juggernaut's keeper in the dying seconds.
Midfielder Anirudh Thapa (15') and Vafa Hakhamaneshi scored in each half to take Chennaiyin FC past the hosts and into the knockout stage of the competition.
The ISL champions Hyderabad are at full strength with their full quota of six foreigners including Brazilian Joao Victor, Australian Joel Chianese and the redoubtable Nigerian Bart Ogbeche, driving forces behind their epoch ISL triumph last season.
Everyone barring four first-team players away on Durand Cup duties joined the contingent which began practice here at the Salvador do Mundo Panchayat Football Ground on Friday.
All 47 games across four venues and three states of the country will be broadcast live. All matches will also be live-streamed on the internet. With all 11 Indian top division Indian Super League (ISL) teams participating along with five I-League teams and four Services teams, the total numb