ISL 2018-19: Kerala Blasters FC vs Delhi Dynamos - 3 Players to look out for

#1 Sandesh Jhingan

The rock at the back of the KBFC defence [Image: ISL]

The heart and soul of the Kerala Blasters, Sandesh Jhingan has been the mainstay at the centre of the Kerala defence since the formation of the club. The skipper is considered one of their own by the Manjappada and his safety first attitude makes him one of the best defenders in the league.

The 25-year-old defender comes into the match after leading the Indian team to an impressive draw against a much higher ranked China in China a couple of days back. The Chandigarh born was in impressive form for the team in blue as they kept the Red Dragons to a goalless draw.

On ISL front, Sandesh Jhingan has been impressive so far, earning the Hero of the Match award in the first home match for the Blasters against Mumbai FC. The brick wall in the Kerala Blasters defence has only been breached once with Jhingan and Lakic-Pesic forming an impressive centre-back pairing.

Jhingan's stats in this season clearly shows the defender's desire to keep the ball out of his net with 17 clearances, 2 blocks, 2 interceptions and 6 tackles along with a good positional sense this season. The skipper is also seen as a vital cog in attack for James with his ability to provide good long balls to the forward line. An average of 31.5 passes along with 74.6% passing accuracy and 104 touches in 2 matches is quite impressive for the lad from Chandigarh.