ISL 2017: Top 5 Bargain Buys in the Draft

The 2017 Indian Super League (ISL) Player Draft took place in Mumbai on Sunday and all the teams have built their home-grown contingent after 15 rounds of the draft process. The teams had a total salary cap of Rs 18 crore, out of which Rs 12.5 crore were reserved for foreign players. The 10 clubs together spent Rs 48.85 crore while in 2014, the eight teams that were part of the tournament spent a total of Rs 24 crore to acquire all the players. Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC were added to the ISL ahead of the draft.

Except for Delhi Dynamos and Jamshedpur, every team had at least two players already in their ranks at the start of the draft, which meant that these two sides started first in the auction.

Jamshedpur roped in Anas Edathodika at the very beginning, one of the costliest players in the draft, for a whopping Rs 1.1 crores. The newcomers picked up ace goalkeeper Subrata Paul as well. Eugeneson Lyngdoh was signed by reigning champions ATK for a similar amount.

There are few players who are getting such a low salary which wasn’t really expected. Let’s have a look at five footballers who could have made it big but failed unfortunately on the day.

Mohammad Rafi

Mohammed Rafi will play for Chennaiyin next season

Rafi won the first ISL title in 2014 with Atletico de Kolkata. He also appeared in another final in 2016 with Kerala Blasters but unfortunately, his team lost to Chennayin FC. At this year’s ISL draft, his salary was set at 30 lakhs and after waiting out a few rounds, Chennaiyin FC picked him up, suggesting the former India international isn't a top target these days.

In 2014, he scored just one goal for ATK in his 10 appearances, whereas for Kerala Blasters, he scored six goals in 25 appearances over two seasons. This former India striker doesn’t have many days left in his career. He is 35 now and if he doesn’t make a startling impact in this year’s ISL then it would be hard for him to get a team next year.

Zohmingliana Ralte

Zotea led Aizawl FC to the I-League title last season

Zohmingliana Ralte, popularly known as Zotea, has made headlines only a few weeks back when his brilliant header effectively put Mohun Bagan out of the I-League title race. His header made history for Aizawl FC as it helped the club win their first ever I-League title last season.

This 29-year-old defender will play for Bengaluru FC in the forthcoming ISL and expectations from him are very high. After all his heroics, he is only going to get Rs 25 lakhs from the JSW-owned side. He was a wall in defence for Aizawl FC in the I-League and was immensely consistent.

Chinglensana Singh

Chinglensana Singh Konsham, born 23 November 1996, also known as Sana Singh or Chinglensana, played as a centre back for Shillong Lajong in the last I-League. In the ISL draft, FC Goa bought him in a deal that will see the player earn Rs 19 lakhs in salary.

He is one of the most promising young defenders currently but his price tag is surely not reflecting that. In the 2016 I-League, he made 18 appearances for Shillong Lajong, not missing even a single game. This 20-year-old will play in ISL for the second time this year and he has age on his side, so some good performances in this year’s ISL will surely make his salary graph rise up next year.

Kean Lewis

Lewis is considered one of the five best midfielders in the country. At the age of 14, he was called for a special training with Leicester City which opened the doors for him in Indian football. In 2008, he joined Tata Football Academy. After completing his graduation in Houston, he joined Houston Dynamo.

In 2015, he made his debut for Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and soon after started grabbing the eyeballs of many. In 2016 ISL, he went to Delhi Dynamos on loan from Mohun Bagan and scored four goals in his 11 appearances.

This year, Pune City have bought him for Rs 40 lakhs, a high salary compared to the other players on this list but many believe Lewis deserves more. This 24-year-old forward will be the key for Pune’s success this year.

Jerry Mawhmingthanga

Jerry (2nd from left) had a visit to Liverpool last year

This 20-year old promising forward will play for Jamshedpur FC in this year’s ISL for a Rs 15 lakh salary only. Mawihmingthana played for NorthEast United earlier. He also represented India U-19 and India U-23 teams. Born in Mizoram, Mawihmingthana started his career with the DSK Shivajians Academy.

In March 2016, Mawihmingthana, along with teammate Lallianzuala Chhangte, went to train with Liverpool in England. He played his first match for NorthEast against Mumbai City FC in the ISL's 2016 edition. He has also played for DSK Shivajians in the I-League.

Edited by Abhijit Bharali