Bengaluru FC season review: A campaign of highs, lows, and missed opportunities

Former Indian Super League champions Bengaluru FC endured a rollercoaster season—beginning with promise, stumbling in the mid-phase, and ultimately falling just short of silverware despite a late surge.

The Blues kicked off their campaign with a strong showing in the Durand Cup 2024, advancing to the semi-finals before narrowly bowing out to Mohun Bagan in a penalty shootout.

That early momentum carried into the ISL season, where they soared to the top of the table till Matchweek 9, buoyed by an impressive streak of five consecutive clean sheets.

However, a heavy defeat to FC Goa disrupted their rhythm, and a dip in form saw them slide to fifth place. Despite a commendable recovery in the latter stages, Bengaluru ended the league campaign in third place, unable to regain their early-season dominance.

Bengaluru FC had another shot at the title as they reached the final of the ISL Cup tournament, thanks to a 5-0 hammering of Mumbai City FC at home and then a close win against FC Goa in a two-legged semi-final.

But, once again, they failed to cross the hurdle of Mohun Bagan FC and, similar to the Durand Cup, proved to be the second best against them, losing 1-2 in the extra time of ISL Cup final.

Let's deep dive into the season review of the Bengaluru FC using statistical analysis:

By the numbers: Bengaluru FC’s 2024-25 season

ISL League Win-Loss Record - 24 Matches - 11 Wins, 5 Draws, and 8 Defeats

Overall Win-Loss Record - 34 Matches - 17 Wins, 5 Draws, and 12 Defeats

Total Goals Scored: 68 (+20 Goal Difference)

Overall Top Scorer: Sunil Chhetri (17 goals)

Total Clean Sheets: 13

The impressive wing play

Bengaluru FC's biggest strength was their wing play, especially on the counterattacks, thanks to the speedy runs and knack of finding the accurate pass from Ryan Williams and Alberto Noguera.

Bengaluru FC was also the best team this season in terms of the number of crosses provided, having 592 of those in the 28 matches of ISL, with a brilliant average of 21 crosses per match.

Their crossing ability has just been demonstrated by the fact that three of the top 10 players with the highest successful crosses were from Bengaluru FC - Ryan Williams (36), Roshan Singh (25), and Alberto Noguera (24).

But crossing is just a base of an attacking move; the rest of the work will have to be done by the attackers, which Sunil Chhetri and Edgar Mendez did efficiently by sending them into the back of the net.

Evergreen Sunil Chhetri

The "Captain leader Legend," as the Indian fans call him, Sunil, has lived up to that again with another outstanding season for Bengaluru FC, which was incidentally his joint best-ever ISL season.

Having 14 goals and 2 assists, Sunil finished the ISL season in second place in the Golden Boot race and was a big part of the team's attacking lineup, which has scored the second-most (49) goals this ISL season.

Sunil hasn't started many games, but he played the role of super-sub brilliantly. For example, his 92nd-minute goal against FC Goa in the ISL Cup semi-finals was one of his best goals this season, helping his side to reach the final.

Emerging player: Vinith Venkatesh

The local boy Vinith Venkatesh was the emerging player of the season for the club. The 19-year-old winger impressed the fans with his off-the-ball and speedy runs on the right flank.

He had five goal contributions this season overall (3 Goals and 2 assists) in the 23 matches, and had an outstanding start to his ISL season, scoring the winning goal on his debut against East Bengal.

However, after a lean phase in the middle of the season, he was not getting many starts for the side, and lost his rhythm, which he tried to find in whatever time he was getting as a substitute.

Despite that, Bengaluru will be aiming to keep him within the squad and sharpen his skills before the next season, as he has the quality that was visible with his crosses and through balls.

What went wrong

Bengaluru FC had a good season, but despite that, they failed to win a single trophy because of their defensive lapses in the final minutes, dropping crucial points, and losing key encounters.

Bengaluru FC was the first team to score in all three cup tournament exits they faced -- Durand Cup (SF), ISL Cup (Final), Super Cup (R16). This is because of their habit of conceding goals in the final minutes.

The ISL campaign mirrored this inconsistency. After a strong first half, a six-match winless run in January 2025 shattered their League Shield hopes.

They eventually finished with 38 points, third on the table, and short of title contention.

No continental spot

Bengaluru had a second chance of winning the continental spot, via the Kalinga Super Cup, after a long wait, and they were also in good form, fresh from their excellent performance in the ISL Cup tournament.

But, they had a pale end to the season as they failed to cross the pre-quarterfinal hurdle at the final competition of the season, losing to Inter Kashi on penalties and missing out on a continental spot for another season.

They had a strong start to this game as well, scoring the first goal thanks to Ryan Williams in the 61st minute, but then again, conceded a late goal, and the whole momentum shifted toward Inter Kashi.

The team will now be disassembled for the off-season and will be looking forward to making yet another strong squad for the coming season and starting another chase for the title.