Suman Chakravorty: Indian football is not all about foreigners. A few Indian players have the capability to surpass even the top foreign players as well on their given days. Here goes five of them who have been superstars for their respective ISL franchises.
Sunil Chettri: The Indian captain is also the country’s all-time record goalscorer in international matches with 54 goals. Chhetri sits just below Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi and Clint Dempsey on the list of top active international goalscorers, hence it doesn’t come as a shock to see him top this list.
Genuine leader, inspiration and a “team player” , who can change the game on his own. Bengaluru FC will have a huge boost to have him on board.
Udanta Singh: A terrific talent. By far the best right winger of the country. His consistent performances on and off the field have earned him the tag to be the best youngster of this season. His goals for the national team and his powerful performances for BFC can become nightmares for all the teams in the ISL. Udanta is predominantly a right winger, but can also play as a wide forward and left winger.
Jayesh Rane: An outstanding talent. The lad from Mumbai, has been highly rated and his consistent performances led his team AIzawl FC to become the champions of the I-League last season. His new team ATK will relying on his clever play behind the forwards to score more goals this season. An immensely skillful and dynamic winger who can be the solution for a lot of problems.
Sandesh Jhingan: The burly centre-back has been a revelation in Indian football over the past few years and is now a fixture in Constantine’s national team set-up. Jhingan played for Kerala Blasters in ISL 2016 before joining Bengaluru FC on loan in January this year.
Jhingan’s rapid rise into Indian football’s mainstream is reflected in the change that his valuation has gone through in the space of a year. Kerala Blasters FC have been his club since the first season and he will feature for them in this season as well.
Jeje Lalpekhlua: Jeje’s recent scoring record for India has been nothing short of phenomenal. The former Mohun Bagan striker has netted a lot of goals in his last 15 India appearances, taking his goals tally to a new high. The prolific Jeje, hence, has the logical market value of 250,000 euros. Chennayin FC has been his club since the first season and will be playing for his familiar ISL clubs in this season as well.