The domestic player draft of the Indian Super League (ISL) is set to commence later this month, reportedly 23rd July and clubs are now setting their sights on roping in the cream of the talented Indian players after confirming their retained players’ list.
Among the ten clubs to be part of the ISL next season, only Delhi Dynamos and Tata Steel's new team have not retained or signed any Indian player so far. Tata Steel's team, by virtue of being a new entity, are building their entire team from scratch and, therefore, will be the first entrants to the player draft.
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These are the senior players retained by the ten ISL clubs ahead of the domestic draft:
Atletico de Kolkata: Debjit Majumder and Prabir Das
Bengaluru FC: Sunil Chhetri and Udanta Singh (Under-21, national team capped)
Chennaiyin FC: Jeje Lalpekhlua, Karanjit Singh and Jerry Lalrinzuala (Under-21, national team capped)
Delhi Dynamos: None
FC Goa: Laxmikant Kattimani and Mandar Rao Dessai
Kerala Blasters: CK Vineeth and Sandesh Jhingan
Mumbai City: Sehnaj Singh and Amrinder Singh
NorthEast United: Rowllin Borges and Rehenesh TP
Pune City: Vishal Kaith
Tata Steel: None
The aforementioned player retentions by almost every ISL franchise will determine in which round the clubs will enter the draft. Being the newcomers to the Indian football scene, Tata Steel's new team will have the first pick in the draft's first round, after which Delhi Dynamos will pick a player.
The Lions will be allowed to pick one player in the first round. The second round will be conducted likewise, with Pune City joining Delhi and Jamshedpur.
A similar draft happened in the very first season of the ISL, where 84 Indian players were part of the draft.
According to the rules of the draft, the teams which have either retained or signed two senior players, like Kerala Blasters with Vineeth and Jhingan, will be allowed to enter the draft only in the third round. Pune City, having retained only goalkeeper Kaith, will head into the second round of the draft.
The draft rounds are such that all the teams are on the same page as regards the number of senior or India international players. For example, Tata Steel and Delhi Dynamos must have two senior players or India-capped Under-21 players before the third round. All the other clubs, Pune City and Chennaiyin FC aside, have already retained two senior players (or India-capped Under-21 players) each, hence they will not enter the draft process before the third round.
Having retained two senior players in Jeje and Karanjit and an Under-21 national team player in Jerry Lalrinzuala, Chennaiyin FC will enter the draft in the fourth round.
Star Indian players like Anas Edathodika, Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Robin Singh will be part of the draft, therefore not retaining any senior player could seemingly be a strategic decision by Delhi Dynamos, giving them an edge in the draft process.
While clubs like Bengaluru and Kerala Blasters couldn't risk letting their prized assets in Chhetri, Udanta, Vineeth and Jhingan head into the lottery of the draft, champions Atletico de Kolkata have made the conscious decision to keep goalkeeper Majumder.
Since the reduction in the number of foreign players in an ISL team's starting eleven will come into effect in the forthcoming season, teams have made efforts to tie-up their shot-stoppers on longer contracts.
The retention of Majumder, Amrinder, Rehenesh, Karanjit and Kattimani suggests that Indian goalkeepers are in high demand, leading the clubs to leave nothing to chance to make them stay put.
