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It’s still early days in the Indonesia Super League, but Sriwijaya FC looks like an impressive team. The 2007 champion is top of the table with six wins from its opening eight games, throwing down the gauntlet to defending champion Persipura Jayapura.

Sriwijaya started life as Persijatim in East Jakarta before it moved to Solo. The city of Palembang then bought the club and relocated it to the banks of the Musi River and its new stadium in Jakabaring Sports City. Since then, it has been onward and upward.

The turning point was when the club hired Rahmad Darmawan as coach. Under his guidance, it completed the country’s first domestic double in 2008, winning the Liga Indonesia and the Copa Indonesia, which it also won in 2009 and 2010. Throw in the Inter Island Cup and the Community Shield in 2010 and you have Indonesia’s most successful club of recent years.

Former national team coach Ivan Kolev struggled last season to match Rahmad’s accomplishments, and Sriwijaya moved in the preseason to replace him with Kas Hartadi and bolster its squad. The result was an older roster packed with experienced internationals who have been dominant so far this season.

Sriwijaya began with a 3-1 win at Pelita Jaya, which had invested heavily in the preseason. Despite losing its next match, 1-0 at Persib Bandung, the South Sumatra side has been impressive, rattling in 13 goals in its last three games.

If the team has an icon, it is Keith Kayamba Gumbs. Forty years young in September, Gumbs has consistently impressed since arriving at the club in 2007. He even has been named fitness coach, a testament to his high level of fitness and professionalism.

The St. Kitts and Nevis international has played for more than 20 years, with his ports of call including the Netherlands, England, Greece, Portugal, Austria, Trinidad & Tobago, Brazil, Hong Kong and Malaysia before arriving in South Sumatra. He has played more than 130 times for his country, and age shows no signs of slowing him down.

Gumbs has averaged a goal every two games for Sriwijaya and is the club’s all-time leading scorer. He has eight goals in eight games this season, a feat matched by strike partner Hilton Moreira. The Brazilian has been a consistent performer since arriving in Indonesia, averaging better than a goal every other game with Deltras Sidoarjo and Persib, and his move to Sriwijaya gave Gumbs the prolific strike partner he has missed in recent years.

Providing the service for those two are Ponaryo Astaman and Firman Utina, two of the finest midfield playmakers Indonesia has produced recently. Both are in their 30s, in keeping with the nature of the squad, but like the strikers they are known for their consistency.

Ponaryo has become more of an aging Ray Wilkins, content to sit back and spray 40-yard passes, while Firman still has the energy to get forward, sometimes playing as a second striker and still featuring in the national team.

Providing the bite for Sriwijaya is Cameroon international Thierry Gathuessi. After the best part of a decade playing in France and Scotland, he arrived in Palembang at the start of last season and made an immediate impact. He often found himself in the referee’s notebook during his first season, but he has settled in and now rarely puts a foot wrong.

For now, Sriwijaya can savor the league lead and enjoy reruns of its 5-1 thumping of Persiba Balikpapan. Next up is the long road trip to Papua, though, and matches against Persiwa Wamena — which has just two home losses in the top flight since its founding — and a Persipura side eager to retain its crown.