   Clockwise from top: Kerala Blasters FC's fans during an Indian Super League match; Chennaiyin FC's fans during an Indian Super League match; Bengaluru FC's fans during an I-League match | |
| Other names | Southern Derby Southern Rivalry Deccan Trivalry |
|---|---|
| Location | South India |
| Teams | Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC, Kerala Blasters FC |
| First meeting | Chennaiyin FC 2–1 Kerala Blasters FC 2014 Indian Super League (21 October 2014) |
| Latest meeting | Bengaluru FC 1–0 Kerala Blasters FC 2023–24 Indian Super League (2 March 2024) |
| Next meeting | TBC |
| Stadiums | Sree Kanteerava Stadium Bengaluru, Marina Arena Stadium Chennai, Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Kochi |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 55 |
| Most wins | Bengaluru FC (18 wins) |
| Most player appearances | Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (30 appearances) |
| Top scorer | Sunil Chhetri (13 goals) |
| Largest victory | Kerala Blasters FC 3–6 Chennaiyin FC 2019–20 Indian Super League |
The South Indian Derby, also known as the Southern Derby or Southern Rivalry, is the name given to a football derby contested by any two of the three professional football clubs from South India—Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters FC.[1][2][3] The geographical proximity of the clubs contributes significantly to the rivalries. Along with this, the competition between the West Block Blues and Manjappada—the fan clubs of Bengaluru FC and the Blasters respectively—intensifies the rivalry among those two clubs.[4][5]
Bengaluru was founded in 2013; the Blasters and Chennaiyin were founded one year later. The first South Indian Derby was in 2014, when Kerala and Chennaiyin first met in the inaugural season of the Indian Super League. Bengaluru joined the Indian Super League (ISL) in 2017, playing in the same division with the Blasters and Chennaiyin for the first time. They played their first Southern Derby against Chennaiyin FC on 17 December 2017,[6] and played their first match against the Kerala Blasters on 31 December 2017.[7]
- ^ "Indian Super League: The Southern Derby". www.theturffootball.com. 11 July 2020. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
- ^ "Chennaiyin FC versus Kerala Blasters in ISL's most bitter rivalries". Hindustan Times. 12 November 2016. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- ^ "ISL 2020-21: Bengaluru FC renew rivalry with Chennaiyin FC". The Week. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- ^ "Bengaluru vs Kerala Blasters - a unique rivalry born and fostered ahead of time". Indian Super League. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- ^ "Southern Rivalry Between Chennayin FC, Kerala Blasters Ends in Stalemate Football News". NDTVSports.com. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
- ^ "Jeje and Ganesh help Chennai go level on points with Bengaluru". Indian Super League. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- ^ "ISL 2017: Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC clash on New Year's Eve to be postponed?". www.sportskeeda.com. 6 December 2017. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
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