Kunal Tamang and the Unfinished Governor’s Gold Cup Dream

BIJOY GURUNG

Twice denied, the Sikkimese defender gets a third chance to turn heartbreak into history with Sikkim Aakraman

 GANGTOK,: Twice Kunal Tamang has walked into a Governor’s Gold Cup final carrying the hopes of a home team. Twice he has walked away without the trophy. On Friday evening, at Paljor Stadium, the Sikkimese defender will have a third chance to put that right - and perhaps the most precious one of all.

At 29, the stopper knows that opportunities like these do not come often for a footballer from Sikkim. Having lost the finals with Gangtok Himalayan SC in 2019 and 2024, he returns to the title stage with Sikkim Aakraman, who face Shillong Lajong in the final of the 42nd Governor’s Gold Cup. For Kunal, it is another shot at a trophy that has eluded Sikkim’s teams for nearly five decades.

The Governor’s Gold Cup began in 1979, with Gangtok Municipal Corporation XI lifting the inaugural title. Since then, no home team has won the tournament. Gangtok Himalayan SC reached the final in 2019 and 2024, losing on both occasions, while Sikkim Aakraman are now only the third home team to reach the title decider in the tournament’s history.

Kunal has been part of two of those campaigns. He was part of that Gangtok Himalayan SC side which lost 1-2 against Mohammedan Sporting Club in the 2019 final.

He captained Gangtok Himalayan SC in the 2024 final, when the home side suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Northeast United FC in the penalty shootout. A victory would have placed his name in Sikkim football’s record books as the captain of a team that finally brought the Gold Cup home.

That dream remains unfinished. But the defender sees his latest opportunity as something more than another final.

“In 2019, I was simply overjoyed to play in the final of the Governor’s Gold Cup, since it is a childhood dream of every Sikkimese footballer to play in this prestigious tournament. I was happy to have reached the final itself,” Kunal told SIKKIM EXPRESS.

Four years later, the feeling had changed. Having reached the final again with Gangtok Himalayan SC, he wanted to go one step further.

“We reached the final again in 2024 with Gangtok Himalayan SC, and there was huge motivation to win the Governor’s Gold Cup as I was the captain at that time. The entire team’s confidence level was also high. If we had won it, it would have remained in Sikkim football’s record books that a team from Sikkim had won the tournament under my captaincy. We gave our best in the final but unfortunately lost on penalties.”

The disappointment of that afternoon has not dimmed his belief. Instead, the third opportunity has given him renewed hope.

“Now this is the third time. Maybe God has given me another chance to win the Governor’s Gold Cup. I feel like that and am positive about tomorrow’s final,” he said.

There is reason for that optimism. Sikkim Aakraman have built their campaign around a squad that has played together through the recently concluded Sikkim Football Association’s A Division S-League, with Kunal pointing to team spirit, familiarity and fitness as important strengths ahead of the showdown with Shillong Lajong.

“We have a fighting spirit as a team, and all of us are motivated to win. We have more or less the same squad from the SFA A Division S-League, barring a few additions. We will do our best and keep fighting till the last minute,” he said.

Aakraman also have continuity from the Gangtok Himalayan SC side that reached the 2024 final. Captain Kithup Lachungpa, goalkeeper Nimdup Lepcha, Sagar Gurung and Anurag Chettri are among the players who featured in that campaign. Friday will be a second Gold Cup final for them, too.

Kunal believes the longer S-League season has helped prepare Sikkim’s A Division teams for the demands of the tournament. In previous years, a shorter league left players with less time to build fitness and develop cohesion. This time, more matches have given teams a stronger foundation.

“Previously, we used to have a short league and we could not have that level of fitness or team preparation. But this time, due to a longer league, the players are fit, the teams are well settled and confidence is there,” he said.

That confidence, he added, was evident in Aakraman’s performances against established opposition, including East Bengal FC reserve team and Gokulam FC, on their way to the final.

For Kunal, though, the significance of Friday goes beyond the quality of the opposition. The Governor’s Gold Cup is one of Sikkim football’s most cherished prizes, and a rare chance for a local player to stand on the brink of winning it.

He has experienced the occasion twice, first with the excitement of reaching a final and then with the burden of leading his team into one. Now comes a third chance, with the weight of those memories and the possibility of a different ending.

On Friday evening, Kunal Tamang will walk out at Paljor Stadium once more. This time, he hopes to leave with the trophy.

THE THIRD CHANCE

KUNAL TAMANG

Age: 29

Position: Stopper (central defender)

Current team: Sikkim Aakraman

First Gold Cup final: 2019, with Gangtok Himalayan SC, lost to Mohammedan SC

Second final: 2024, with Gangtok Himalayan SC; lost to Northeast United FC on penalties

Third final: October 16, 2026, against Shillong Lajong

A rare milestone: Set to become the only Sikkimese footballer to feature in three Governor’s Gold Cup finals

The bigger dream: To become part of the second Sikkim team to win the Gold Cup since the inaugural edition in 1979.