Durand Cup is the best place to start the season: Mumbai City FC defender Rahul Bheke

Mumbai City FC defender Rahul Bheke believes the Durand Cup is the best place to start the season. The 131st edition of the Durand Cup began on the 16th of August and it will be a great opportunity for the Islanders to prepare in the best possible manner for the Hero Indian Super League.

Mumbai City FC is placed in Group B of the tournament along with East Bengal, ATK Mohun Bagan, Rajasthan United, and the Indian Navy. Mumbai will begin its campaign against the Indian Navy at VYBK Stadium, Kolkata on the 18th of August.

Bheke said as quoted by the official website of Hero ISL, “​​We had a great campaign in Saudi Arabia, and now as a senior I look forward to having a great season this year too. I look forward to guiding the juniors, we have a good set of players where there is a mixture of juniors as well as seniors. As a senior, it’s always my duty to keep helping them on and off the pitch and that’s what I will keep doing.”

Meanwhile, Rahul Bheke had won Durand Cup with his former club Air India. Bheke is looking forward to the upcoming season and wants to give his best. The 31-year-old who was born in Mumbai is excited to take part in the tournament.

The defender added, “I think this is the best place where we can start the season where we will be expecting a lot of crowd. I have played it before with Air India and I’ve won it. I’m really happy and excited to be a part of the Durand Cup again, and our team will be playing in the Durand Cup for the first time. So, obviously, our aim is to win and do better and get ready for the [Hero] Indian Super League (ISL).”

On the other hand, Rahul Bheke had a successful campaign in the AFC Champions League and he will look to replicate the same performance in the upcoming season.

He added, “I think it’s very important, as the coach said, we need to continue the way we played in the Champions League as a team and as an individual I feel I should continue in the same way, and help my team to win Durand Cup as well as the Hero ISL which is a prime target.”