Diamond Harbour FC: All you need to know about the Durand Cup 2025 debutants

Durand Cup, the traditional curtain-raiser for Indian football, may have lost some of its sheen this year with only six Indian Super League teams participating, compared to 12 last season, but there is no shortage of excitement among Indian football fans.

 

The clouds of uncertainty hovering over the ISL 2025-26 season because of a stalemate between the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) over the renewal of the Master Rights Agreement (MRA), which governs the operations and commercial structure of the tournament, has resulted in the teams pulling out of the Durand Cup 2025.

 

A week into the tournament, four of the six groups have completed their opening matches, with East Bengal and Jamshedpur FC maintaining the dominance of ISL clubs – the top-tier clubs have won the title every time since 2021.

 

Come July 28, it will be the turn of Mohammedan Sporting Club to do the same. Up against them will be debutants Diamond Harbour FC. Much like Mohammedan SC’s rise to the ISL last season after winning the I-League, Diamond Harbour’s entry into the higher echelons of Indian football has been rapid by usual standards.

 

The club took shape in Maheshtala, a city and a municipality of South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal, in 2022. Since then, Diamond Harbour FC have risen through the ranks, from Calcutta Football League First Division to the I-League, through consistent performances.

 

Former I-League and ISL coach Kibu Vicuna has been the brain behind their rise, having been appointed the Diamond Harbour FC head coach in May 2023. Under him, they won the I-League 2 title with an unbeaten streak of 11 wins and four draws.

 

The Durand Cup debutants can take confidence from their recent 1-0 win over Mohammedan SC in the Calcutta Premier Division.

 

The side boasts of players like striker Joby Justin and attacking midfielder Girik Khosla. Diamond Harbour FC have also bolstered their squad with the addition of India player Halicharan Narzary, on loan from Bengaluru FC, and Slovenian midfielder Luka Majcen, 36, who scored 23 goals across two seasons for the ISL side Punjab FC. 

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