For these Maharashtra players, every match is an away tie

It is an irony of sorts. The state of Maharashtra has no presence in the I-League, the premier domestic football tournament in the country, while it has two teams in the Indian Super League (ISL): Mumbai City FC and FC Pune City.

However while Maharashtra, and especially Mumbai, might not be missing the football action thanks to the ISL, players from the state plying their trade in the I-League sure miss walking out on the field for their city, for their state, on their home ground, and in front of their home crowd.

Maharashtra lost its presence in the I-League after Mumbai FC were relegated last season, and the All India Football Federation found no takers from Mumbai when it invited bids for new teams last year.

It meant that some of the state players who were not part of any of the ISL teams had to find new clubs and cities they could call their home.

In this ongoing season of the I-League, there are as many as 11 players from Maharashtra who are playing for different clubs scattered around the country.

And while some of them are enjoying the experience of turning up for a different state, most feel a sense of void in not playing for their home club.

Nikhil Kadam, who has represented Pune FC, Pune-based DSK Shivajians as well as Mumbai FC in his I-League career but is playing for Mohun Bagan this season, looks at the situation as a bittersweet pill.

"It hurts sometimes that in spite of hailing from Maharashtra, I'm playing for a club that is not based in the state.

"But, on the flipside, I feel honoured to play for a club of Mohun Bagan's stature and it surely gives me a big responsibility to prove my worth," the 23-year-old winger says.

In this day and age of professional leagues across all sports, playing for foreign clubs is nothing new. But for some of these youngsters, who have only played in the I-League so far, it is still an uncharted experience.

Take for example Abhishek Ambekar. The 26-year-old made his I-League debut in 2012 with Air India, and since then, has only been part of clubs from Mumbai – Air India, Mumbai Tigers and Mumbai FC.

This season, though, he is playing for Minerva Punjab, and though the striker is happy to at least be part of the league, he admits to a difference in culture in the Punjab-based team to that of a Mumbai club.

"For me, satisfaction is about getting more time on the field and getting as many matches as possible. There is, though, a certain difference in the culture of the state, the way they deal with things is slightly different from what we see in Mumbai or Maharashtra-based clubs.

"I have Girik (Khosla) and Altamash (Sayed) with me, so they make me more or less feel at home only," Ambekar says.

What doesn't make Ambekar feel at home is not playing in front of his local fans, family and friends, something he misses the most.

"We all miss our home towns. I miss the fact that my mom and dad cannot come and see all the matches here. They have sacrificed a lot in order to help me reach where I am now," he says.

Nikhil Poojari, who grew up playing all his youth football in Maharashtra but made his I-League debut for East Bengal in 2016, says it pains him not to see a club from the state in the top domestic league of the country.

"I've grown up in Maharashtra and it pains me that there's no club in the I-League from the state. It's the hardcore truth of football and we have to accept this," says the 22-year-old, who has been sidelined from this season due to injury.

"It's a tricky situation, actually. During our growing up days, we were habituated to playing for our home state and when we grew up, we went to play outside. But it is what it is, and you have to challenge yourself always to be a better player, which can never happen if you keep yourself confined within your comfort zone," he adds.

Yet, most of these guys want to get back to that very comfort zone, hoping that they can get back to playing for their city or state at some stage in the future.

"If a suitable opportunity comes my way, I would gladly like to take it. It is always good to be near your family, at least for the home matches in any tournament," Ambekar says.

Khosla, the 23-year-old from Mumbai who's under Minerva Punjab, believes "it is always more comfortable to play for your local state".

"If I get a good chance, I would be more than happy to sign up for a Maharashtra club," he adds.

Ask Kadam whether he'd like to play for a Maharashtra club again, and pat comes the reply: "Why not? Once I'm given a right opportunity, I'll grab it with both hands.

"I have played for three Maharashtrian clubs in the I-League so far, and I'm surely open to playing for another if all the boxes are rightly ticked off."

Players from Maharashtra in I-League