The arrival of Inter Kashi in the Indian Super League for the 2025–26 season marks one of the most significant shifts in the geography and narrative of Indian football in recent years.
A club rooted in Varanasi, a city better known for its spiritual legacy than sporting ambition, Inter Kashi enter the top tier not as romantic underdogs, but as a side shaped by urgency, experience, and calculated pragmatism.
Their promotion itself was anything but straightforward. After finishing top of the I-League in the 2024–25 season, Inter Kashi were forced into a prolonged legal battle before their status was confirmed, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport eventually ruling in their favour. That uncertainty froze recruitment plans for months, leaving the club behind rivals who had already begun squad-building for the new season. When the Indian Super League was eventually delayed to February 2026 and reformatted into a single-leg round-robin competition, Inter Kashi were presented with both a challenge and an opportunity.
In a compressed season where every match carries disproportionate weight, the margin for adaptation is minimal. There is no space for long bedding-in periods or experimental phases. Recognising this, Inter Kashi’s recruitment strategy has been shaped by a single principle: immediate readiness.
Photos : Abhinav Ashish Aind / Shibu Nair Photography AIFF
At the centre of this approach is head coach Antonio López Habas, one of the most accomplished managers in the history of the Indian Super League. Habas is synonymous with results-driven football. His teams have never been built on aesthetic ideals but on defensive organisation, physical resilience, and ruthless efficiency in transitions. For a debutant club facing a shortened season, that philosophy offers clarity and stability.
The signings of Seiminlen Doungel, Nishu Kumar, and Jayesh Rane are emblematic of this mindset. None are long-term projects. All are proven ISL performers with extensive top-flight mileage, capable of stepping into high-pressure matches without hesitation.
Doungel brings verticality and experience on the flank. A player who has represented multiple ISL clubs across a decade, his greatest asset is not raw pace but timing and intelligence in transition. In Habas’ system, wide players are expected to defend deep and break quickly, and Doungel’s work rate and positional discipline make him a natural fit. Crucially, he arrives match-ready after competitive minutes elsewhere during the league’s delayed start, an advantage few players possess this season.
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Nishu Kumar offers tactical flexibility that is rare in the domestic market. Comfortable on either flank, he allows Habas to adjust shapes within matches without changing personnel. Whether used as a conventional full-back or an inverted option stepping into midfield, Nishu provides balance to a backline that is expected to absorb pressure for long spells. In a single-leg season, reliability often outweighs flair, and Nishu’s experience in high-stakes matches gives Inter Kashi a dependable defensive anchor.
Jayesh Rane, meanwhile, is the embodiment of winning pedigree. Few Indian players can match his résumé across both the ISL and I-League. More importantly, Rane understands Habas’ demands intimately, having played under him during title-winning campaigns. In midfield, his role is unlikely to be glamorous. He will be asked to shuttle, screen, and connect phases rather than dominate possession. Yet it is precisely this understated efficiency that could define Inter Kashi’s survival push.
Beyond individual signings, Inter Kashi’s squad construction reflects a broader strategic choice. Rather than retaining the core of their I-League-winning side and gradually upgrading, the club has been ruthless in prioritising top-tier experience. This contrasts with recent promoted teams who leaned heavily on continuity and youth development. Inter Kashi, by comparison, are treating their debut season as a test of competitiveness, not identity-building.
The altered league format reinforces that logic. With each team playing opponents only once, momentum swings quickly and recovery time is limited. A poor run cannot be balanced by reverse fixtures. In such conditions, familiarity with league tempo, refereeing standards, and tactical trends becomes invaluable. Inter Kashi’s veterans bring that institutional knowledge into the dressing room.
Tactically, the squad suggests a preference for either a compact 3-5-2 or a disciplined 4-2-3-1, both systems Habas has deployed effectively in the past. Wing-backs are expected to work relentlessly, midfielders to prioritise shape over creativity, and forwards to capitalise on limited chances. It may not always be expansive football, but it is designed to collect points in an unforgiving competition structure.
Inter Kashi’s entry into the ISL is therefore not a symbolic expansion alone; it is a statement of intent. The club has chosen survival through experience rather than experimentation, pragmatism over romance. In doing so, they acknowledge the realities of modern Indian football, where administrative delays, condensed calendars, and commercial pressures reward immediate impact.
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When the season begins, Inter Kashi will not arrive as wide-eyed newcomers. They will step onto the ISL stage armed with hardened professionals, a coach who understands how to manage chaos, and a squad built to compete from the first whistle. Whether that is enough to disrupt established hierarchies remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Inter Kashi are not here to merely participate. They are here to endure, adapt, and challenge from day one.
