SCB win I-League 2, secure promotion to I-League

Bengaluru: Sporting Club Bengaluru emerged I-League 2 champions following their 1-0 win over Sudeva Delhi, earning them a promotion to the I-League at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi on Monday. 

Shaiborlang Kharpan scored the winning goal in the 26th minute for the club, which has taken giant strides in less than a year.

The Golden Tigers have been the stand-out side in I-League 2, and have accrued 27 points in 12 matches with nine wins and three losses. 

Bengaluru will have a club in the second tier of Indian football after seven years, and with promotion to the Indian Super League on offer for the I-League winners, SCB have their sights set on the top tier. 

Sporting Club Bengaluru, founded in 2022, now have two promotions in a span of three years. The club emerged champions of the BDFA Super Division in their maiden year, and have not looked back since.

In 2023, SCB finished third in the I-League 3 playoffs after topping Group D, thereby earning a place in I-League 2. 

"Delighted with our performances and proud of my players. They have stuck to their tasks brilliantly, and this has made it easy to execute our game plans," coach Chinta Chandrashekar Rao gushed. 

"We have been a family since day one, and having the local flavour only added to our appetite for success. It was this team spirit, character and a bit of individual brilliance which helped us secure our objectives," Rao added. 

"We have some experienced heads running the club, who have been taking the right decisions from day one. Trusting the city's talent pool has paid off," Kishore Reddy SR, CEO and owner of SCB said. 

"Trusting our process will help us clinch the I-League title and eventually play the Indian Super League. We hope to retain Bengaluru Football Stadium as our home venue for the I-League games," Reddy added.

Result: Sudeva Delhi: 0 lt to Sporting Club Bengaluru: 1 (Shaiborlang Kharpan 26th).