Founded: 27th May 2014
Owners: Magnum Sports Private Limited
Stadium: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi
Titles: 0
About
Kerala Blasters have been one of the most popular franchises in the Indian Super League. They have amassed a huge number of followers on social media and are one of the widely supported clubs across Asia.
Their fan base is known for their passionate support towards their club and throng to the stadium in large numbers on matchdays. Sachin Tendulkar used to be an owner of the franchise as he had a 20 per cent stake in the club but later he decided to sell off his stake four years later.
Kerala haven’t been that much consistent over the years but they have been an integral part of the ISL since its inception.
Due to the covid-19 pandemic, they had suffered a bit financially but with time passing they have stabilised their condition and now are one of the contenders for the playoffs. Kerala are yet to win an ISL title and they should dream big despite having a tough last season.
Kerala Blasters: Results in Indian Super League
| Year | Results |
| 2014-15 | Runners up |
| 2015-16 | 8th |
| 2016-17 | Runners up |
| 2017-18 | 6th |
| 2018-19 | 9th |
| 2019-20 | 7th |
| 2020-21 | 10th |
Kerala managed just two playoffs appearances and both the time they had to return empty handed after losing in the ISL final. They lost to ATK in the inaugural edition and again couldn’t pass the ATK hurdle back in the 2016-17 season.
They finished 7th in the 2019-20 season and had a poor last season as they finished at the bottom of the table.
Kerala Blasters: Top Scorers in ISL
| Year | Player | Appearances | Goals |
| 2013-14 | Iain Hume | 16 | 5 |
| 2014-15 | Antonio German | 9 | 6 |
| 2015-16 | C.K. Vineeth | 6 | 5 |
| 2017-18 | Iain Hume | 12 | 5 |
| 2018-19 | Matej Poplatnik | 16 | 4 |
| 2019-20 | Bartholomew Ogbeche | 16 | 15 |
| 2020-21 | Jordan Murray | 19 | 7 |
Bartholomew Ogbeche has been a prolific scorer in the Indian Super League. He scored 15 times for Kerala in the 2019-20 season. The Nigerian arrived from another ISL outfit NorthEast United on a free transfer and took very little time to settle in.
Kerala Blasters: ISL 2021-22 Fixtures
| Date | Day | Fixture | Venue | Time (IST) |
| November 19, 2021 | Friday | ATK Mohun Bagan vs KBFC | PJN Stadium, Fatorda | 7:30 PM IST |
| November 25, 2021 | Thursday | NorthEast United FC vs KBFC | PJN Stadium, Fatorda | 7:30 PM IST |
| November 28, 2021 | Sunday | Bengaluru FC vs KBFC | Athletic Stadium, Bambolim | 7:30 PM IST |
| December 5, 2021 | Sunday | KBFC vs Odisha FC | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
| December 12, 2021 | Sunday | SC East Bengal vs KBFC | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
| December 19, 2021 | Sunday | Mumbai City FC vs KBFC | PJN Stadium, Fatorda | 7:30 PM IST |
| December 22, 2021 | Wednesday | Chennaiyin FC vs KBFC | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
| December 26, 2021 | Sunday | KBFC vs Jamshedpur FC | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
| January 2, 2022 | Sunday | KBFC vs FC Goa | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
| January 9, 2022 | Sunday | KBFC vs Hyderabad FC | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
| January 12, 2022 | Wednesday | Odisha FC vs KBFC | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
| January 16, 2022 | Sunday | KBFC vs Mumbai City FC | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
| January 20, 2022 | Thursday | KBFC vs ATK Mohun Bagan | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
| January 30, 2022 | Sunday | KBFC vs Bengaluru FC | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
| February 4, 2022 | Friday | KBFC vs NorthEast United FC | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
| February 11, 2022 | Friday | Jamshedpur FC vs KBFC | Bambolim Athletic Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
| February 15, 2022 | Tuesday | KBFC vs Chennaiyin FC | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
| February 19, 2022 | Saturday | Hyderabad FC vs KBFC | Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
| February 28, 2022 | Monday | KBFC vs SC East Bengal | Tilak Maidan Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
| March 5, 2022 | Saturday | FC Goa vs KBFC | Bambolim Athletic Stadium | 7:30 PM IST |
Kerala Blasters: Squad for ISL 2021-22
Goalkeepers: Karanjit Singh, Sachin Suresh, Prabhsukhan Gill, Muheet Khan
Defenders: Bijoy V, Enes Sipovic, Jessel Carneiro, Marko Leskovic, Nishu Kumar, Ruivah Hormipam, Sanjeev Stalin, Sandeep Singh, Denechandra Meitei
Midfielders: Adrian Luna, Ayush Adhikari, Givson Singh, Harmanjot Khabra, Jeakson Singh, Lalthathanga Khawlhring, Sahal Abdul Samad, Vincy Barretto, Prasanth Karuthadathkuni
Forwards: Alvaro Vazquez, Anil Gaonkar, Chencho Gyeltshen, Jorge Diaz, Rahul KP
Kerala roped in a number of foreign players with the likes of Adrian Luna, Enes Sipovic and Alvaro Vazquez this summer. They also signed Bhutanese winger Chencho Gyeltshen on a free transfer to boost their attacking contingent.
The emergence of Sahal Abdul Samad has also been very encouraging for the Blasters. The midfielder has already found the net 4 times this season and is gunning for more.
KBFC: Interesting ISL stats
Kerala Blasters had just two wins in the 2018-19 season which is a joint record for the fewest wins in a season. They have also drawn 49 matches the most in the Indian Super League so far.
KBFC: Rivalries
The South Indian derby of the Indian Super League occurs between three teams- Kerala Blasters, Chennaiyin FC and Bengaluru FC. Along with the matches, the competition between the fans is also exciting as they are often engaged in various banters and activities on social media on matchdays.
Kerala Blasters vs Bengaluru FC Head to Head
| Matches Played | Won | Lost | Tied |
| 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
Kerala Blasters vs Chennaiyin FC Head to Head
| Matches Played | Won | Lost | Tied |
| 17 | 4 | 6 | 7 |
Road Ahead for KBFC
Frequent changes in coaches have often dealt a blow to Kerala Blasters across the seasons. The side has gone on to change so many managers in the recent past which seems to have hurt their rebuilding process.
They have had their preseason prior to the start of this season and have managed to stay at the top as of now. Sahal has finally managed to have his breakthrough season as the midfielder is finally paying dividends for having patience on the pitch.
He has influenced a lot of games this time and has been dictating matches on his own. He needs to be at his best if Kerala are to reach the playoffs for the third time in the ISL.
Jorge Diaz and Alvaro Vazquez have formed a lethal attacking lineup that could cause havoc in the opposition ranks. In Adrian Luna, the Blasters have one of the most creative playmakers of ISL and his attacking antics could be a big boost for the southern giants in this later stage.
They should make it to the playoffs if they perform like this on the pitch.
