The 109th Nadkarni Cup to kick off from 20th November 2015 at the RCF Sports Club

by Kaushal Shukla November 18, 2015

The 109th edition of the Nadkarni Cup, one of the oldest tournaments in Indian Football is all set to kick off from Friday, 20th November at the RCF Sports Club ground in the RCF Colony, Chembur. The teams will feature sixteen top teams in Mumbai which will lock horns in a knock-out tournament which will go on for ten days, with the Final scheduled to take place on the 30th November 2015.

Defending Champions ONGC though, won’t be participating in this year’s competition after their heroic 5-4 win on penalties against arch rivals Air India in the final. Last year’s runners-up, Air India will take part in the competition, along with eight other teams from the MDFA Elite Division which include Mumbai FC, Great Mother SC, Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers (RCF), PIFA Colaba, Kenkre FC, Indian Navy, Mumbai Customs, Karnataka Sporting Association (KSA) and Union Bank of India.

The other five teams include Super Division sides like Income Tax, Rhema S.C, Millat FC, Sellebrity FC and Mumbai Warriors.

The tournament will kick off with hosts RCF taking on G.M.S.C, which promises to be a cracking game considering the crowd support which RCF gets  playing at home. That game will be followed by Air India’s first round game against Income Tax on the same day.

All the matches will have a regular 45 minute half and the tie will be settled through a penalty shootout, should the game remain tied at the end of the ninety minutes. Two games will be held everyday with the first one kicking off at 1 pm, while the second one will commence from 3 pm.

The first round will get over on 23rd November and the Quarter Finals will commence from the very next day.

The Nadkarni Cup carries great prestige in Mumbai Football and has seen several Indian greats take centre stage in this tournament over the years. The tournament has a great history of producing some of the most exciting games in Mumbai’s football history and is a tournament which guarentees some high profile upsets.

With a good mix of Super and Elite Division teams taking part in the 109th Nadkarni Cup, this year’s tournament promises to be even more enthralling.