Santosh Trophy starts from Thursday

The Santosh Trophy, the symbol of supremacy in Indian football, kicks-off on Thursday, in Bombay, with a depleted 29-times winners Bengal looking to regain the title they last won in 1998-99 at Madras after beating Goa in the final.

The 58th edition of the tournament, which is being conducted by the Western India Football Association after Nagpur expressed its inability to stage the event, begins with four cluster matches between Services and Rajasthan, Manipur and Himachal Pradesh, Pondicherry and Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir on the opening day, at two venues -- the Cooperage and University stadium in south Bombay.

With the leading clubs of Calcutta -- Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Tollygunge Aggragami -- refusing to release their players, Bengal will be represented by a bunch of budding youngsters, who will be coached by Shabbir Ali and Prasanta Banerjee.

Eight top teams of the first league phase of the tournament, which ends on November 6, will challenge four seedeed teams -- holders Maharashtra, runners-up Goa, Bengal and Kerala in a quarter-final league of three teams each. The toppers of each group will then play the semi-finals.

The final will be played on November 17.

Players of each participating team will have personal insurance of Rs 100,000 each and Rs 25,000 towards treatment of injuries.