# 2023 Durand Cup

The 2023 Durand Cup (also known as IndianOil Durand Cup due to sponsorship ties with the Indian Oil Corporation) was the 132nd edition of Durand Cup, the oldest football tournament in Asia, and the second edition since it was supported by the Asian Football Confederation. The tournament is hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society in co-operation with the AIFF, Eastern Command of the Indian Armed Forces and the Government of West Bengal, supported by the Government of Assam.
This year for the second time the tournament will be played in more than one city. This will be the second season of the tournament wherein all 12 clubs in the top tier Indian Super League have been mandated to participate, along with invited clubs from I-League, I-League 2 and regional league, and teams representing armed forces.
Bengaluru FC were the defending champions, having defeated Mumbai City FC in the 2022 final. The 2023 IndianOil Durand Cup final saw the Kolkata club Mohun Bagan win their 17th Durand Cup title by defeating their arch-rivals East Bengal by 1-0.

## Teams

The organization committee announced an increase in the number of teams from the previous edition. 19 Indian clubs and 5 services teams, from India, Nepal, and Bangladesh will play in this edition. This is the first time in 27 years a foreign team participates in the tournament.
The teams have been drawn into six groups of four each. Six group winners and the two best second-placed sides will make the knockout stage.
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Location |
| Indian Super League teams ||||
| Bengaluru | Bibiano Fernandes | Parag Shrivas | Bengaluru, Karnataka |
| East Bengal | Carles Cuadrat | Harmanjot Singh Khabra | Kolkata, West Bengal |
| Chennaiyin | Owen Coyle | Jordan Murray | Chennai, Tamil Nadu |
| Goa | Manolo Márquez | Brandon Fernandes | Margao, Goa |
| Hyderabad | Thangboi Singto | Chinglensana Singh | Hyderabad, Telangana |
| Jamshedpur | Steven Dias | Sk Sahil | Jamshedpur, Jharkhand |
| Kerala Blasters | Frank Dauwen | Adrián Luna | Kochi, Kerala |
| Mohun Bagan | Juan Ferrando | Subhasish Bose | Kolkata, West Bengal |
| Mumbai City | Des Buckingham | Rahul Bheke | Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| NorthEast United | Juan Pedro Benali | Gaurav Bora | Guwahati, Assam |
| Odisha | Amit Rana | Rakesh Oram | Bhubaneswar, Odisha |
| Punjab | Staikos Vergetis | Luka Majcen | Ludhiana, Punjab |
| I-League teams ||||
| Delhi | Anish Krishna Shetty | Bali Gagandeep | New Delhi, Delhi |
| Gokulam Kerala | Domingo Oramas | Álex Sánchez | Kozhikode, Kerala |
| Mohammedan | Mehrajuddin Wadoo | Samad Ali Mallick | Kolkata, West Bengal |
| Rajasthan United | Pushpender Kundu | Hardik Bhatt | Jaipur, Rajasthan |
| Shillong Lajong | Bobby Nongbet | Hardy Nongbri | Shillong, Meghalaya |
| State leagues team ||||
| Downtown Heroes | Hilal Rasool Parray | Shahid Nazir | Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir |
| Bodoland | Daimalu Basumatary | Didwm Hazowary | Kokrajhar, Assam |
| Indian Armed Forces teams ||||
| Indian Air Force | Priya Darshan | Mandeep S Singh | New Delhi, Delhi |
| Indian Army | L Antony Ramesh | Bhabindra Malla Thakuri | New Delhi, Delhi |
| Indian Navy | Abhilash Vasantha | VK Vishnu | New Delhi, Delhi |
| Foreign armed forces teams ||||
| Bangladesh Army | Abdur Razzaque | Md. Samimul Haque | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Tribhuvan Army | Megh Raj KC | Bharat Khawas | Kathmandu, Nepal |

## Venues

Initially, Imphal was drafted as a host city. However, due to the 2023 Manipur unrest, Guwahati was set as the replacement. A total of 43 matches are being played across 3 cities — Kolkata, Guwahati and Kokrajhar. 23 matches will be played in Kolkata, including the final, 11 matches in Guwahati, and 9 matches in Kokrajhar.
| Kolkata | Kolkata | Guwahati |
| Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan | Kishore Bharati Krirangan | Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium |
| Capacity: 68,000 | Capacity: 12,000 | Capacity: 30,000 |
| Kolkata | Kolkata | Kokrajhar |
| Mohun Bagan Ground | East Bengal Ground | SAI Stadium |
| Capacity: 22,000 | Capacity: 23,500 | Capacity: 10,000 |

## Trophy tour

Like the preceding season, the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) organized a trophy tour across 15 cities before the beginning of the tournament but with much more grandiosity. The tour was flagged off on 30 June from Manekshaw Centre in Delhi Cantonment in the presence of Gen. Manoj Pande, ACM VR Chaudhari and the AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey and toured upon Kartavya Path from India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhavan, later reaching Indian Military Academy in Dehradun on 2 July. The tour continued to Udhampur on 4 July, then to Pune on 6 July, where a grand reception was organized by the officers and cadets at National Defence Academy.
The trophies were received by the Army Officers Institute in Mumbai on 8 July and was publicly showcased at the Gateway of India and the Marine Drive. The tour continued to Jaipur on 9 July, where public showcasing was done at Amber Fort, Hawa Mahal, Jal Mahal, Albert Hall Museum and Jaipur Vidhan Sabha. The trophies were then unveiled at Indian Naval Academy in Ezhimala on 13 July. The tour in Kerala continued with the trophies being sailed on INS Vikrant at Southern Naval Command, Kochi in the presence of Rear Admiral Susheel Menon and IM Viajayan on 15 July. The trophies reached one of the host cities—Guwahati on 16 July. They were received by the Sports Minister of Assam Nandita Gorlosa and Lt. Gen. Rana Pratap Kalita.
The tour continued to Bangalore on 18 July, following to Shillong on 19 July, where the trophies were sailed across Umiam Lake and Orchid Lake and then brought to Kibithu as a part of tribute offering to India's first Chief of Defence Staff—Gen. Bipin Rawat at General Bipin Rawat Garrison. The trophies traveled to Hyderabad, visiting the Air Force Academy on 20 July and then on 22 July, the trophies reached another host city—Kokrajhar in the presence of Chaubey, the CEM of the BTC Pramod Boro and Maj. Gen. Dinesh Hooda. The trophy tour was flagged in on 25 July in Kolkata which was commemorated by first ever BASE jump in the city taking place from the top of The 42, led by Lt. Col. Satyandra Verma and Gp. Capt. Kamal Singh Oberh.

## Official song

On 10 August 2023, Durand Cup Official theme song and a music video featuring Vicky Kaushal were released. The song was titled "Bhide" in Hindi which was sung by Arijit Singh, and Divine, composed by Arijit Singh and written by Amitabh Bhattacharya & Divine.

## Broadcasting

Sony Sports Network have acquired the broadcasting rights of Durand Cup for three editions, starting from 2023. The 2023 edition will be live streamed on the network's OTT platform SonyLIV as well as TV channels Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 2 HD.

## Group stage
### Group A

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | EAB | MBG | BAN | PUN |
| 1 | East Bengal (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 7 | Qualify for the knockout stage | — | — | 2–2 | 1–0 |
| 2 | Mohun Bagan SG (H) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 6 | Qualify for the knockout stage | 0–1 | — | 5–0 | 2–0 |
| 3 | Bangladesh Army | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 2 | | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | Punjab | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | −3 | 1 | | — | — | 0–0 | — |

### Group B

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | MCI | MSC | JAM | INV |
| 1 | Mumbai City | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | +11 | 9 | Qualify for the knockout stage | — | — | 5–0 | 4–0 |
| 2 | Mohammedan (H) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 6 | | 1–3 | — | 6–0 | 2–1 |
| 3 | Jamshedpur | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11 | −10 | 3 | | — | — | — | 1–0 |
| 4 | Indian Navy | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 0 | | — | — | — | — |

### Group C

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | GOK | BEN | KER | IAF |
| 1 | Gokulam Kerala | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | +1 | 6 | Qualify for the knockout stage | — | — | — | 2–0 |
| 2 | Bengaluru | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 | | 2–0 | — | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| 3 | Kerala Blasters | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 4 | | 3–4 | — | — | 5–0 |
| 4 | Indian Air Force | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 1 | | — | — | — | — |

### Group D

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | GOA | NEU | SHI | DTH |
| 1 | Goa | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 2 | +9 | 7 | Qualify for the knockout stage | — | — | 6–0 | 3–0 |
| 2 | NorthEast United (H) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 7 | Qualify for the knockout stage | 2–2 | — | 4–0 | 3–1 |
| 3 | Shillong Lajong | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 3 | | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | Downtown Heroes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 0 | | — | — | 1–2 | — |

### Group E

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | CHN | HYD | DEL | TRI |
| 1 | Chennaiyin | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 9 | Qualify for the knockout stage | — | — | — | 3–0 |
| 2 | Hyderabad | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4 | | 1–3 | — | — | 3–0 |
| 3 | Delhi | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 | | 1–2 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 |
| 4 | Tribhuvan Army | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 1 | | — | — | — | — |

### Group F

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification | ARM | RJU | BDO | OFC |
| 1 | Indian Army | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 7 | Qualify for the knockout stage | — | — | — | — |
| 2 | Rajasthan United | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | | 0–0 | — | — | — |
| 3 | Bodoland (H) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | | 1–2 | 0–1 | — | 2–1 |
| 4 | Odisha | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 3 | | 0–1 | 2–1 | — | — |

### Ranking of second-placed teams

| Pos | Grp | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | D | NorthEast United | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 3 | +6 | 7 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | A | Mohun Bagan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | +6 | 6 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 3 | B | Mohammedan | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 | +5 | 6 | |
| 4 | C | Bengaluru | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 5 | |
| 5 | E | Hyderabad | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 4 | |
| 6 | F | Rajasthan United | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |

## Knockout stage
### Qualified teams

| Group | Winners |
| A | East Bengal |
| B | Mumbai City |
| C | Gokulam Kerala |
| D | Goa |
| E | Chennaiyin |
| F | Indian Army |
| Group | Best second-placed teams |
| D | NorthEast United |
| A | Mohun Bagan |

### Bracket

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final |
| 24 August – IGAS | 24 August – IGAS | | | |
| Indian Army | 0 | | | |
| Indian Army | 0 | 29 August – VYBK | 29 August – VYBK | | |
| NorthEast United | 1 | 29 August – VYBK | 29 August – VYBK | |
| NorthEast United | 1 | NorthEast United | 2(3) | |
| 25 August – VYBK | 25 August – VYBK | | NorthEast United | 2(3) | |
| 25 August – VYBK | 25 August – VYBK | East Bengal | 2(5) | |
| East Bengal | 2 | East Bengal | 2(5) | |
| East Bengal | 2 | | | | 3 September – VYBK | 3 September – VYBK |
| Gokulam Kerala | 1 | | | | 3 September – VYBK | 3 September – VYBK |
| Gokulam Kerala | 1 | | | | East Bengal | 0 |
| 26 August – IGAS | 26 August – IGAS | | | | | East Bengal | 0 |
| 26 August – IGAS | 26 August – IGAS | | | | Mohun Bagan | 1 |
| Goa | 4 | | | | Mohun Bagan | 1 |
| Goa | 4 | 31 August – VYBK | 31 August – VYBK | | | |
| Chennaiyin | 1 | 31 August – VYBK | 31 August – VYBK | | | |
| Chennaiyin | 1 | Goa | 1 | | | |
| 27 August – VYBK | 27 August – VYBK | | Goa | 1 | | | |
| 27 August – VYBK | 27 August – VYBK | Mohun Bagan | 2 | |
| Mumbai City | 1 | Mohun Bagan | 2 | |
| Mohun Bagan | 3 | | | |

### Final
## Statistics

    As of 3 September 2023

### Top scorers

Key :
| ‡ | Golden Boot Winner |
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | David Lalhlansanga $^‡$ | Mohammedan | 6 |
| 1 | Noah Sadaoui | Goa | 6 |
| 3 | Jorge Pereyra Díaz | Mumbai City | 5 |
| 4 | Parthib Gogoi | NorthEast United | 4 |
| 5 | Lalremsanga Fanai | Mohammedan | 3 |
| 5 | Bidyashagar Singh | Kerala Blasters | 3 |
| 5 | Aaren D'Silva | Hyderabad | 3 |
| 5 | Carlos Martínez | Goa | 3 |
| 9 | Rowllin Borges | Goa | 2 |
| 9 | Sreekuttan VS | Gokulam Kerala | 2 |
| 9 | Ronney Kharbudon | Shillong Lajong | 2 |
| 9 | Javier Siverio | East Bengal | 2 |
| 9 | Aminou Bouba | Gokulam Kerala | 2 |
| 9 | Rafael Crivellaro | Chennaiyin | 2 |
| 9 | Romain Philippoteaux | NorthEast United | 2 |
| 9 | Victor Rodriguez | Goa | 2 |
| 9 | Justine Emmanuel | Kerala Blasters | 2 |
| 9 | Mohammed Aimen | Kerala Blasters | 2 |
| 9 | Jason Cummings | Mohun Bagan | 2 |
| 9 | Nandha Kumar Sekar | East Bengal | 2 |
| 9 | Phalguni Singh | NorthEast United | 2 |
| 9 | Manvir Singh | Mohun Bagan | 2 |

### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Parthib Gogoi | NorthEast United | Shillong Lajong | 4–0 | 4 August 2023 |
| Noah Sadaoui | Goa | Shillong Lajong | 6–0 | 8 August 2023 |
| David Lalhlansanga$^4$ | Mohammedan | Jamshedpur | 6–0 | 20 August 2023 |
| Bidyashagar Singh | Kerala Blasters | Indian Air Force | 5–0 | 21 August 2023 |
| Aaren D'Silva | Hyderabad | Tribhuvan Army | 3–0 | 22 August 2023 |

#### Notes

$^4$ Player scored 4 goals

### Clean sheets

Key :
| † | Golden Glove Winner |
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
| 1 | Vishal Kaith $^†$ | Mohun Bagan | 2 |
| 1 | Sayad Bin Abdul Kadir | Indian Army | 2 |
| 1 | Bhabindra Malla Thakuri | Indian Army | 2 |
| 1 | Prabhsukhan Singh Gill | East Bengal | 2 |
| 1 | Phurba Lachenpa | Mumbai City | 2 |
| 1 | Sachin Jha | Rajasthan United | 2 |
| 1 | Mirshad Michu | NorthEast United | 2 |
| 8 | Arsh Anwer Shaikh | Mohun Bagan | 1 |
| 8 | Arshdeep Singh | Goa | 1 |
| 8 | Zothanmawia | Gokulam Kerala | 1 |
| 8 | Ravi Kumar | Punjab | 1 |
| 8 | Ashraful Islam Rana | Bangladesh Army | 1 |
| 8 | Debjit Majumder | Chennaiyin | 1 |
| 8 | Hrithik Tiwari | Goa | 1 |
| 8 | Lalbiakhlua Jongte | Mohammedan | 1 |
| 8 | Sachin Suresh | Kerala Blasters | 1 |
| 8 | Sahil Poonia | Bengaluru | 1 |
| 8 | Gurmeet Singh | Hyderabad | 1 |
| 8 | Ayush Jena | Jamshedpur | 1 |
| 8 | Mohammad Nawaz | Mumbai City | 1 |
| 8 | Md Alamgir Hossen | Bangladesh Army | 1 |
| 8 | Ngamsanglena Haokip | Shilong Lajong | 1 |
| 8 | Niraj Kumar | Odisha | 1 |
| 8 | Mohit Singh Dhami | Jamshedpur | 1 |

### Discipline
#### Player

* Most yellow cards: 2
** Md. Mizanur Rahman
* Most red cards: 1
** Md. Mizanur Rahaman
** Nishu Kumar
** Liton Shil
** Dettol Moirangthem
** Ngamsanglena Haokip
** Bhabindra Malla Thakuri
** Hormipam Ruivah
** Anirudh Thapa

#### Club

* Most yellow cards: 3
** Bangladesh Army
* Most red cards: 2
** Indian Army

## Awards
### Prize money

The total pool of prize money for the 2023 edition is ₹1 crore (US$120,000).
| Prize | Recipient | Amount |
| Champions | Mohun Bagan | ₹60 lakh (US$70,000) |
| Runner-up | East Bengal | ₹30 lakh (US$35,000) |
| Golden glove | Vishal Kaith | ₹3 lakh (US$3,500) |
| Golden boot | David Lalhlansanga | ₹3 lakh (US$3,500) |
| Golden ball | Nandhakumar Sekar | ₹4 lakh (US$4,700) |

### Man of the Match awards

| Match | Man of the Match | Man of the Match | Match | Man of the Match | Man of the Match | Match | Man of the Match | Man of the Match |
| Match | Player | Club | Match | Player | Club | Match | Player | Club |
| Match 1 | Liston Colaco | Mohun Bagan | Match 16 | Ashangbam Aphaoba Singh | Odisha | Match 31 | Romain Philippoteaux | NorthEast United |
| Match 2 | Parthib Gogoi | NorthEast United | Match 17 | Seriton Fernandes | Goa | Match 32 | David Lalhlansanga | Mohammedan |
| Match 3 | William Pauliankhum | Rajasthan United | Match 18 | Nandhakumar Sekar | East Bengal | Match 33 | Bidyashagar Singh | Kerala Blasters |
| Match 4 | Alberto Noguera | Mumbai City | Match 19 | Nili Perdomo | Gokulam Kerala | Match 34 | Sairuat Kima | Rajasthan United |
| Match 5 | Ramhlunchhunga | Hyderabad | Match 20 | Ronney Kharbudon | Shillong Lajong | Match 35 | Aaren D'Silva | Hyderabad |
| Match 6 | Harmanjot Singh Khabra | East Bengal | Match 21 | Rafael Crivellaro | Chennaiyin | Match 36 | Robin Yadav | Bengaluru |
| Match 7 | Bhabindra Malla Thakuri | Indian Army | Match 22 | Vivek Kumar | Indian Air Force | Match 37 | | |
| Match 8 | Hugo Boumous | Mohun Bagan | Match 23 | Carlos Martínez | Goa | Match 38 | | |
| Match 9 | Noah Sadaoui | Goa | Match 24 | Nandhakumar Sekar | East Bengal | Match 39 | | |
| Match 10 | Lalengmawia Ralte | Mumbai City | Match 25 | Ashley Alban Koli | Jamshedpur | Match 40 | | |
| Match 11 | Girik Khosla | Delhi | Match 26 | Suresh Meitei | Indian Army | Match 41 | | |
| Match 12 | Shibinraj Kunniyil | Indian Air Force | Match 27 | Vanlalhriatzuala K | Delhi | Match 42 | | |
| Match 13 | Connor Shields | Chennaiyin | Match 28 | Bekey Oram | Bengaluru | Match 43 | | |
| Match 14 | Ashraful Islam Rana | Bangladesh Army | Match 29 | Bipin Singh | Mumbai City | | | |
| Match 15 | Alexis Gómez | Mohammedan | Match 30 | Zacharie Mbenda | Bodoland | | | |