India, May 15 -- Proof of how little separates Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal this season lies not only in the teams being level on points and struggling with set-pieces but also having a player each booked for simulation in the round before Sunday's Kolkata derby.

It took six seasons of the Indian Super League (ISL) for two of Asia's oldest extant clubs to go toe to toe which also means it has taken East Bengal - the only club that had to build a squad from scratch thrice - that long to emerge as title contenders.

In that time, first as ATK Mohun Bagan and then in their current avatar, the other half of Indian football's most famous rivalry won the ISL cup and the league shield once each before doing the double last term. Inhe...