The 2020–21 Kerala Premier League season was the eighth season of the Kerala Premier League.[1][2] The season featured 12 teams which was divided into 2 groups and were played on a home-and-away format.[3] The season was originally scheduled to start in 2020, but was postponed to 2021 due to Covid-19 Pandemic.[4][5] It began on 6 March 2021 across two centralised venues in Thrissur and Kochi.[6] This season, Kerala Football Association decided to add two more participants into the league. KSEB and BASCO were the new entrants into the league.[7]
 | |
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Gokulam Kerala (2nd title) |
| Matches played | 33 |
| Goals scored | 96 (2.91 per match) |
| Top goalscorer |  Saliou Guindo Gokulam Kerala FC(8) |
| Highest scoring | Golden Threads FC 1-6 Kerala United FC Gokulam Kerala FC 5-2 FC Kerala |
| Longest winning run | Gokulam Kerala FC (5) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Gokulam Kerala FC (6) |
| Longest winless run | Kovalam FC (5) |
| Longest losing run | Kovalam FC (5) |
← 2019–20 2021–22 →
All statistics correct as of 16 April 2021. | |
Teams
edit
MA College
Locations of the 2020–21 Kerala Premier League teams
| Team | Manager | Captain | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basco FC | Rajeev Kumar | Ummer farook | Royal Travels[1] |
| FC Kerala | Shivaram | Shabin | Yogakshemam Loans |
| Gokulam Kerala FC | Najeeb | Rishad | Gokulam Group |
| Golden Threads | Walter A | Abhijith | Wayna Water[2] |
| Kerala Blasters (R) | T. G Purushothaman | Shahajas Thekkan | Byju's |
| Kerala Police | I. M. Vijayan | Jimshad U | ODYSSIA[3] |
| Kerala United FC | Shajirudheen Koppilan | Arjun Jayaraj | Micro Health Laboratories[4] |
| Kovalam FC | Ebin Rose | Beniston | Federal Bank |
| KSEB | Ramesh PB | Sugun Kumar | MADRE Integrated Engineering[5] |
| Luca Soccer Club | Navas Luca | Bala Dahir | Abreco freight[6] |
| MA College | Haary Benny | Akhil K | Positive |
| Sports Academy Tirur | Baiju | Muhammad shibili | AB Bismi[7] |
Foreign players
editClubs can sign maximum Three players two is allowed in the playing eleven.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Threads FC |  Joseph Tetteh
|
- | - |
| FC Kerala | - | - | - |
| Kerala United FC | Stephen Abeiku
|
Francis Dadzie
|
Aaron Awannorh
|
| Gokulam Kerala FC | Saliou Guindo
|
- | - |
| Kovalam FC | - | - | - |
| Luca Soccer Club |  Bala Dahir
|
 Koffi Konan Kevin
|
- |
| Sports Academy Tirur | - | - | - |
| Kerala Blasters (R) | - | - | - |
| MA College | - | - | - |
| Kerala Police | - | - | - |
| KSEB FC | - | - | - |
| Basco FC | - | - | - |
Group stage
editGroup A
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gokulam Kerala F.C. | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 | +12 | 15 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | BASCO FC | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 6 | |
| 3 | Sports Academy Tirur | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 6 | |
| 4 | Kerala Police | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 6 | |
| 5 | Luca Soccer Club | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 5 | |
| 6 | FC Kerala | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 18 | −14 | 1 |
Source: KFA
Fixtures and results
edit- Source:
- Cancelled Matches
| 6 March 2021 | Luca Soccer Club | 3-0 | FC Kerala | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | Siddeq 50'Bala Dahir 85'Akbar 90+1' |
Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium |
| 7 March 2021 | Gokulam Kerala F.C. | 3-0 | Sports Academy Tirur | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | Abhijith 23' Ganeshan 47'Saliou Guindo 67' |
Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium |
| 13 March 2021 | BASCO FC | 0-0 | Kerala Police | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium |
| 14 March 2021 | Luca Soccer Club | 0-0 | Sports Academy Tirur | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium |
| 20 March 2021 | Gokulam Kerala F.C. | 5-2 | FC Kerala | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | Saliou Guindo 8', 25', 52', 83' Fasalu Rahman 90' |
Asif 51' Abhishek 80' |
Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium |
| 21 March 2021 | Kerala Police | 0-0 | Sports Academy Tirur | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium |
| 27 March 2021 | Gokulam Kerala F.C. | 2-0 | BASCO FC | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | Ganesan 71' Saliou Guindo 73' |
Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium |
| 28 March 2021 | Kerala Police | 1-0 | Luca Soccer Club | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | Sanju G 69' |
Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium |
| 3 April 2021 | Gokulam Kerala F.C. | 4-1 | Kerala Police | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | Gifty 23' Saliou Guindo 88', 90'Lalrinzuala 90+3' |
Firoz 90+5' |
Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium |
| 4 April 2021 | FC Kerala | 0-4 | Sports Academy Tirur | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | Muhammad Nisham 28' nasar 61' 74', 80' |
Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium |
| 10 April 2021 | Luca Soccer Club | 0-1 | Gokulam Kerala F.C. | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | Nimshad 86' |
Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium |
| 11 April 2021 | Sports Academy Tirur | 1-1 | BASCO FC | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | adheeb 33' |
Muhammad Shafi 80' |
Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium |
| 13 April 2021 | FC Kerala | 2-2 | Kerala Police | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | Vinayak 24' Rohit 90+1' |
Bijesh Balan 39', 80' |
Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium |
| 15 April 2021 | Luca Soccer Club | 2-2 | BASCO FC | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | Akmal Shan 22' Bibin Boban 56' |
Abdu Raheem 7' Ajay Krishna 37' |
Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium |
| 17 April 2021 | BASCO FC | 4-0 | FC Kerala | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | Abdu Raheem 11' Muhammad Shafi 17' (47)Ajay Krishna 39' |
Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium |
Group B
edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KSEB | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 3 | +7 | 12 | Advance to Semi-finals |
| 2 | Kerala United FC | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 5 | +11 | 12 | |
| 3 | MA College | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 10 | |
| 4 | Kerala Blasters FC Reserves | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 7 | |
| 5 | Golden Threads | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 12 | −9 | 3 | |
| 6 | Kovalam FC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 13 | −11 | 0 |
Source: KFA
Fixtures and results
edit- Source:
- Cancelled Matches
| 6 March 2021 | Kerala United FC | 3-0 | Kovalam FC | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | Bujair 60' Mousoof 65'Shafeer 71' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
| 7 March 2021 | KSEB | 0-1 | MA College | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | Vyshak 39' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
| 13 March 2021 | Kerala United FC | 3-1 | Kerala Blasters FC Reserves | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | Nidhin 42' Bujair 45', 88' |
Nihal 66' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
| 14 March 2021 | Golden Threads | 0-3 | MA College | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | Fajil 8' Rafi 16'Junaid 45+1' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
| 20 March 2021 | Golden Threads | 2-0 | Kovalam FC | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | Navin 24' Anurag 66' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
| 21 March 2021 | Kerala United FC | 1-3 | KSEB | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | Mousoof 21' |
Muhammad parakottil 4', 42' Jinesh Domenic 47' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
| 27 March 2021 | MA College | 1-1 | Kerala Blasters FC Reserves | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | Muhammad fayis 73' |
Sreekuttan 56' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
| 28 March 2021 | Kovalam FC | 0-1 | KSEB | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | Muhammad parakottil 13' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
| 3 April 2021 | Kerala United FC | 3-0 | MA College | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | Francis Dadzie 35', 73' Muhammad jinshad 90+3' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
| 4 April 2021 | Golden Threads | 0-1 | Kerala Blasters FC Reserves | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | Nihal Sudeesh 55' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
| 10 April 2021 | Kovalam FC | 1-3 | MA College | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | Sherin 68' |
Abil 45+1' jibin devassy 48' Abhijith 90+2' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
| 11 April 2021 | Golden Threads | 0-2 | KSEB | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | joanas 3' eldose 10' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
| 13 April 2021 | Kerala Blasters FC Reserves | 4-1 | Kovalam FC | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | Sreekuttan 33' Gobindash 60'surag chettri 75'Asif 90+1' |
Sherin 28' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
| 15 April 2021 | Golden Threads | 1-6 | Kerala United FC | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | Rakesh 32' |
Francis Dadzie 3' Adarsh 45+2' Bujair 53' Hrishidath 68'Alocious M 73'
Muhammad jinshad 90' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
| 17 April 2021 | Kerala Blasters FC Reserves | 1-4 | KSEB | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | Naorem Mahesh Singh 90+4' |
Nijo Gilbert 33' Eldose George 40'Vignesh 80'Ajeesh 87' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
Knockout stage
edit| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| B1 | KSEB | 3(5) | |||||||
| A2 | BASCO FC | 3(4) | |||||||
| KSEB | 1 | ||||||||
| Gokulam Kerala F.C. | 2 | ||||||||
| A1 | Gokulam Kerala F.C. | 0(4) | |||||||
| B2 | Kerala United FC | 0(2) | |||||||
Semi-finals
edit| 19 April 2021 | KSEB | 3-3 (5-4 p) | BASCO FC | Kochi |
| 16:00 IST | Jacob 65', 84' Nijo Gilbert 90' |
Muhammad uvais 54' (O.G) Muhammad Shafi 57'Ajay Krishna 63' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium | |
| Penalties | ||||
 |
 |
|||
| 19 April 2021 | Gokulam Kerala F.C. | 0-0 (4-2 p) | Kerala United FC | Thrissur |
| 19:00 IST | Stadium: Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium | |||
| Penalties | ||||
| |
|
|||
Final
edit| 21 April 2021 | KSEB | 1-2 | Gokulam Kerala F.C. | Kochi |
| 15:45 IST | Viknesh 54' |
Nishad roshan 80' Ganeshan 92' |
Stadium: Maharaja's College Stadium |
References
edit- ^ Staff Reporter (9 February 2021). "Malappuram, Kochi to host KPL in March". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "കെപിഎല് മാർച്ച് 6ന് മഞ്ചേരി പയ്യനാട് സ്റ്റേഡിയത്തില് | Malappuram | Kerala | Deshabhimani | Wednesday Feb 24, 2021". www.deshabhimani.com. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ TMY (26 February 2021). "കേരള പ്രീമിയര് ലീഗ് ഫുട്ബോള് ചാംപ്യന്ഷിപ്പ് ; ഏഴാം പതിപ്പിന് മാര്ച്ച് ആറിന് തുടക്കം". www.thejasnews.com. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "ഫുട്ബോൾ പൂരത്തിലേയ്ക്ക് കേരളം". malayalam.samayam.com (in Malayalam). Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ TMY (26 February 2021). "കേരള പ്രീമിയര് ലീഗ് ഫുട്ബോള് ചാംപ്യന്ഷിപ്പ് ; ഏഴാം പതിപ്പിന് മാര്ച്ച് ആറിന് തുടക്കം". www.thejasnews.com. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "Kerala Premier League To Begin On 6th March, Read The Full Fixtures | The Fan Garage (TFG)". thefangarage.com. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
- ^ "Kerala premier league football championship kickoff in March - Malayalam MyKhel". malayalam.mykhel.com (in Malayalam). 8 February 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2021.