The exclusive media rights to broadcast the Durand Cup in India between 2023 and 2024 have been purchased by Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN). As part of the agreement, the broadcaster will air the storied football competition, now in its 132nd magnificent Edition, on its sports networks in India as well as throughout the subcontinent, including Afghanistan, Maldives, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, over the course of the next two years.
Dates of Durand Cup
The 132nd Durand Cup will begin on August 3rd, 2023, and include a total of 43 thrilling contests between 24 teams, an increase from 20 the previous year. The championship game is set for September 3, 2023.
Sony Sports bags Telecast and Streaming rights
The tournament will be broadcast LIVE on Sony Sports Ten 2 stations, and matches will also be live-streamed exclusively on SonyLIV, SPN’s premium OTT platform.
Durand Cup History
The Durand Cup, which was first played in 1888, is the third-oldest football competition in the world and the oldest in Asia. The Durand Cup is the only competition in India that pits all Indian Super League (second division) teams against top I-League (second division) and other division teams, as well as teams from the Armed Forces. It was founded by Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, the then Foreign Secretary to the Government of India.
Durand Cup Teams
Six groups of four teams each were created from the 132nd Edition’s 24 teams. In addition to Guwahati and Kokrajhar in Assam, Kolkata will host three of these groups, while the other two will play their games there. While Kolkata will host the remaining knockout matches, one quarterfinal will also be held in each of Guwahati and Kokrajhar. After a gap of 27 years, international teams will once again compete in the tournament, with the Army teams of Bangladesh and Nepal having already confirmed their attendance.
Football fans are in for a treat, especially with so many well-known derbies scheduled. One of the biggest football rivalries in the world, the Kolkata Derby between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal, will be prominent among them. The two southern derbies between Hyderabad FC and Chennaiyin FC, champions Bengaluru FC and Gokulam Kerala, and the Kerala derby between ISL team Kerala Blasters and 2019 champions Gokulam Kerala are among the others. NorthEast United FC and Shillong Lajong will also face off in the North-East derby.
Bengaluru FC defeated Mumbai City FC 2-1 in a high-octane final at Kolkata’s revered Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), the site of this year’s final as well. Sunil Chhetri, an Indian legend, won his first Durand Cup, the tournament where he was first noticed.
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