ISL 2026-27: Dilmperis has the ingredients, but can he conjure the winning formula at Mohun Bagan?

With all the players and facilities at his mercy, for Panagiotis Dilmperis, the equation is straightforward at Mohun Bagan: win trophies, keep the job.

Updated : Oct 11, 2026 13:00 IST , Chennai - 4 MINS READ

Panagiotis Dilmperis previously worked in the ISL with Punjab FC from 2024 to 2026. | Photo Credit: ISL Media

Panagiotis Dilmperis has one of the richest Indian clubs in his hands to work with at Mohun Bagan Super Giant. However, ahead of the its Indian Super League (ISL) season opener against NorthEast United on Monday, the Greek coach will be aware that the value of the squad does not guarantee the same success that it did in the past few years.

The competition around the Mariners has gotten significantly better, especially across the city, while they themselves have bid farewell to pillars of their success over the summer.

Tom Aldred, Jason Cummings and Dimitri Petratos, who were part of the period when Mohun Bagan won back-to-back League Shields and did the double, all pursued other opportunities, prompting the club to dip into the rest of the league for replacements.

Dejan Drazic left FC Goa to sign for the Mariners, while former Punjab FC midfielder Samir Zeljkovic was reunited with Dilmperis. But Mohun Bagan’s biggest nab of the window has been Miguel Figueira from arch-rival East Bengal, right after a season in which he was adjudged the best player.

The biggest signing for Bagan this summer was that of last season’s MVP, Miguel Figueira, who starred in archrival East Bengal’s ISL title win. | Photo Credit: East Bengal media

The Indian pool has also been examined, with experienced legs Rahul Bheke and Lallianzuala Chhangte being brought in from Bengaluru FC and Mumbai City last season. However, both players have looked rusty in pre-season competitions, and were dropped from the India squad that played high-profile friendlies against Brazil, Uruguay, and Panama, along with club captain Subhasish Bose.

Both Subhasish and Bheke, who are in their thirties, will have to fight for spots in the Mohun Bagan backline with Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Mehtab Singh and new signing Alex Saji. Meanwhile, Spaniard Alberto Rodríguez seems to be the only one to have a guaranteed spot in defence.

The arrival of Miguel will aid Dilmperis’ need for creativity in the middle of the pitch, but while he adjusts to his new colours, the coach will be reliant on Sahal Abdul Samad, without whom the club struggled to make things happen in the recently concluded IFA Shield. In the final, he made an immediate impact on his return from national duty, assisting Zeljkovic’s winner against East Bengal.

While he is a midfielder on paper, Sahal has grown into a backup striker role during his time with the Kolkata giant, with five goals and six assists in the Durand Cup earlier this year, a testament to his versatility.

With a longer season coming up, it won’t be surprising if Dilmperis uses the initial few games to experiment with his attacking players. Liston Colaco and Drazic are qualified options as wide players, with the former having a point to prove after grabbing just one goal in the last edition.

Manvir Singh is another candidate, and the 30-year-old will be hoping to have some consistency in terms of position after shuffling between winger and striker at the club and international level. But he is likely to get fewer minutes at the top of the pitch considering the availability of Jamie Maclaren and Scottish recruit Lee Erwin.

Dilmperis has already built a decent reputation with Punjab over the last couple of seasons, but working at a club that has had five managers since the turn of the decade, it is quite natural for the 52-year-old to feel pressure.

And with all the players and facilities at his mercy, for Dilmperis, the equation is straightforward: win trophies, keep the job.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s strongest 11

Kaith (gk); Tekcham, Bheke, Rodriguez, Subhasish; Zeljkovic, Apuia, Sahal, Dejan; Manvir, Erwin

Mohun Bagan Super Giant full squad

Goalkeepers: Priyansh Dubey, Syed Zahid Hussain Bukhari, Vishal Kaith

Defenders: Alberto Rodriguez Martin, Alex Saji, Asish Rai, Mehtab Singh, Rahul Shankar Bheke, Roshan Singh Thangjam, Subhasish Prodyut Bose, Tekcham Abhishek Singh

Midfielders: Abhishek Dhananjay Suryavanshi, Anirudh Thapa, Deepak Tangri, Dejan Drazic, Lalengmawia Ralte, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Miguel Figueira Damasceno, Sahal Abdul Samad, Samir Zeljkovic, Sayan Banerjee

Forwards: Jamie Maclaren, Kiyan Nassiri Giri, Lee Harry Erwin, Suhail Ahmad Bhat

Published on Oct 11, 2026

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