ISL 2017/18: Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru replaces Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium as venue for final clash

With the ISL finale nearing in, the tournament authorities have announced the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru as the venue that will host the summit clash on Saturday, March 17.

This announcement means that there is a very good chance that Bengaluru FC may have the home advantage if they manage to make it past FC Pune City in the second leg of the semifinal, which will also be held at the same venue.

Previously, the final was slated to be held at the iconic Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, which is the home of two-time champions ATK. However, the ISL authorities have now decided to shift the venue to Bengaluru.

Interestingly, there have been complaints from a number of athletes who play other sports, that due to the over usage of the Kanteerava Stadium, which was originally built as an arena for athletics, has prevented them from practising for long hours there.

Some of these athletes had also filed a petition in court, to allow equal usage of the stadium for all sports.

The announcement comes a bit late, as the league stage of the tournament is already over, and the semifinals have already gotten underway, as FC Pune City and Bengaluru FC played out a goalless draw at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune, on Wednesday.

Now, the attention shifts to the Fatorda Stadium in Goa, where FC Goa will take on Chennaiyin FC in the first leg of the second semifinal. The two sides have a history together, having some bad blood left over from the 2015 final, which also took place at the same venue.

Both Chennaiyin and Goa have played some mesmerising brand of football over the course of the season, and have surprised nobody by qualifying for the top four. However, they did experience some hiccups along the way, though they eventually did manage to get over the line.