Kerala Blasters FC and Chennaiyin FC have been at loggerheads ever since the launch of the Indian Super League (ISL).

Apart from the geographical proximity which has given rise to the southern rivalry, the two sides have often found themselves pitted against one another at crucial moments in the season.

Kerala Blasters FC versus Chennaiyin FC matches have always been pivotal in the two teams’ seasons and a victory in this fixture has proved to be a springboard for further successes the winning side has enjoyed in that particular season.

The two teams meet for the first time in ISL 2024-25 with four points separating them. Chennaiyin FC have enjoyed a good season so far and find themselves in fourth place while Kerala Blasters FC are tenth and on a three-game losing streak.

A win for either side could prove to be the tonic they need to climb up the points table and enhance their goals for the season.

Ahead of the mouthwatering clash in Kochi, let’s take a look at the timeline of how this fixture transformed into an intense rivalry.

Kerala Blasters FC win thrilling semi-final tie in 2014 - The Trigger

Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters FC truly kicked off as a rivalry in the inaugural season of the league when the two teams clashed in the semi-final. Chennaiyin FC entered the two-legged tie as slight favourites having topped the league table and also having done the double over the Blasters in the league season.

However, the Kochi-based side put in a spirited performance in front of their home crowd and raced to a 3-0 win thanks to goals from Ishfaq Ahmed, Iain Hume and Sushant Mathew to put them in a commanding situation.

Chennaiyin FC though didn’t throw in the towel and responded positively in the second leg. A goal late in the first half from Mikael Silvestre brought the Marina Machans back in the game. A Sandesh Jhingan own goal in the 76th minute got Chennaiyin FC within one goal of the visitors. Cheered on by the home crowd, Marco Materazzi’s men completed the comeback in the 90th minute when Jeje Lalpekhlua levelled the tie at 3-3.

The Blasters managed to curtail the Chennaiyin FC momentum in extra time and with just three minutes left on the clock, snatched the tie in dramatic fashion with a goal from Stephen Pearson which sent them through 4-3 on aggregate.

The semi-final was a great advert for the ISL and also a trigger point for a rivalry that would only grow intense with every passing season.

Chennaiyin FC get their revenge (ISL 2015)

Chennaiyin FC overcame a slow start to ISL 2015 to get back in contention for the semi-finals and were keen to make amends for the heartbreaking semi-final loss top the Blasters in 2014. The Kochi side visited Chennai in November, the site of their remarkable semi-final win a year before in November 2015 hoping to break the Chennaiyin FC hearts again.

But Materazzi’s men sought revenge and displayed that hunger from minute one. Dhanachandra Singh fired the hosts in front in just the third minute John Stiven Mendoza doubled the lead in the 16th minute. Kerala Blasters FC managed to stay in the game but Chennaiyin FC added gloss to the scoreline with two quick goals from Mendoza who completed his hat-trick to give the hosts a 4-0 lead. Antonio German grabbed a consolation goal for the Blasters but the night belonged to Chennaiyin FC who went on to get revenge and also win the ISL Cup that season.

CK Vineeth’s brace inspires Blasters comeback (ISL 2016)

The Blasters were motoring along well in ISL 2016 under Steve Coppell and looking for their third straight home win when familiar foes Chennaiyin FC came to town. The two teams had traded blows in the two previous campaigns and the fixture had an edge to it.

The visitors made a great start to proceedings when Bernard Mendy’s shot flew into the net via a deflection from Cedric Hengbart in the 22nd minute. The visitors came close to doubling the lead but the Blasters managed to prevent them from extending their advantage before the break.

The Blasters came out a much stronger side in the second half and got their reward when substitute Didier Kadio netted the equaliser in the 66th minute.

The Blasters pushed on for the winning goal and it came in the form of a goalkeeping mistake which allowed local favourite CK Vineeth to pounce on the loose ball and find the back of the net just five minutes from time.

As Chennaiyin FC pushed for an equaliser, it left space for Kerala Blasters FC to counter and Vineeth once again profited four minutes later when he stroked past the goalkeeper to make it 3-1 in Kerala Blasters FC’s favour.

The south Indian bragging rights belonged to the Blasters faithful.

Chennaiyin FC run riot in Kochi (ISL 2019-20)

The Marina Machans travelled to Kochi having failed to win at the stadium since 2014. In their last visit, Chennaiyin FC had lost 0-3 to the Blasters.

Under new head coach Owen Coyle who had taken over mid-season, Chennaiyin FC had found form and their goalscoring boots. They came into Kochi on the back of a three-game winning streak.

It took a while for the match to come to the boil. It was the high-flying visitors who took the lead through Rafael Crivellaro who scored in the 39th minute. The goals spurred Chennaiyin FC on as they doubled the lead in the 45th minute through Nerijus Valskis. Just when everyone thought the scoring in the first half was done, Crivellaro popped up again a minute later to send Chennaiyin FC 3-0 up at the break.

Bartholomew Ogbeche breathed life back into a stunned Jawaharlal Nehru stadium with a goal in the 48th minute but Chennaiyin FC restored their three-goal cushion with a goal from Lallianzuala Chhangte eleven minutes later.

However, Ogbeche was determined to pull the Blasters FC back into the game and he did so with two more goals to complete the mat-trick and make it 3-4.

Just when it felt that the Blasters had wrestled the momentum away from the visitors, Chhangte added his second ten minutes from time to make it 5-3 to Chennaiyin FC.

Valskis then sealed the deal with his second of the night in the second minute of stoppage time to round off a memorable Chennaiyin FC victory.

The rampant Chennaiyin FC side went all the way to the ISL Cup final that season.

Dominant double for the Blasters (ISL 2021-22)

Kerala Blasters FC did their first-ever double over Chennaiyin FC in ISL 2021-22 with two 3-0 victories.

In the first game, goals from Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Sahal Abdul Samad and Adrian Luna handed Ivan Vukomanovic’s side the perfect tonic to grow into the season.

In the second match, Diaz and Luna were Chennaiyin FC’s tormentors again as the Argentine netted a brace to make it another memorable outing for the Blasters.

It was only the third time that one team had done the league double over the other in this fixture and the first occasion when Blasters were not on the receiving end.

The dominant nature of the wins marked how far the Blasters had progressed under Vukomanovic and how much ground Chennaiyin FC had to make up on their south Indian rivals.

A thriller to remember (ISL 2023-24)

ISL 2023-24 saw Chennaiyin FC back under the guidance of Coyle and there were signs of improvement. Blasters were a force under Vukomanovic who was in his third season at the club.

Coyle brought his Chennaiyin FC side to Kochi as underdogs but they stunned the arena with a goal in the very first minute through Rahim Ali.

Blasters equalised ten minutes later through a penalty from Dimitri Diamantakos but Chennaiyin FC stole back the lead in the 13th minute through a Jordan Murray penalty. Murray scored again to put the visitors 3-1 in front in the 24th minute before Kwame Peprah reduced the deficit in the 38th minute. A crazy first half drew to a close with Chennaiyin FC leading 3-2 at the break.

The second half had a much more controlled feel to it but the home side had just about enough bite to hit back and level the game at 3-3 with a goal from Diamantakos in the 59th minute.

There were no further goals but plenty of chances for both teams to grab the winner but none of the teams could take it as the game ended level-pegging.

The Blasters finished just one place above Chennaiyin FC in the points table as both teams made the knockout stage in the same season for the first time since 2014. The gap between the two teams had been bridged and it was an even fight between the two teams again.