ATK suffered a 0-2 defeat to Kerala Blasters in the opening match of the ISL at the Saltlake Stadium here on Saturday. Matej Poplatnik and Slavisia Stojanovic scored in the second half as Kerala scored only their second win over the Kolkata franchise, and first since the 2014 edition.

After enduring a nightmarish ninth place finish in the last season, ATK might have overhauled the squad roping in a trusted coach in Steve Coppell but their fate remained unchanged as they struggled to keep pace with the Kerala Blasters.