The Indian Super League came to an end on Satuday, as Chennaiyin FC became the champions by defeating Bengaluru FC in a pulsating final at Sree Kanteerava stadium in Bengaluru. The two goals from Mailson Alves and one from Raphael Augusto snatched the title away from Bengaluru FC by a 3-2 scoreline.
The four months of ISL saw a roller-coaster ride for many teams as well as players; several Indian players made an impressive run, along with the foreign players in this edition of Indian Super League.
Here's a look at 5 Indian goalkeepers who caught the public eye with their stunning performances:
#5 Amrinder Singh
The 24-year-old goalkeeper from Punjab has garnered everyone’s attention in the last couple of years. Amrinder Singh won the Golden Glove award with Mumbai City FC last season and he appeared for them in front of goal in this edition of ISL as well.
The former Pune Academy player kept 2 clean sheets and made 55 saves for his team, and ended up conceding 28 goals in 16 games. His form was affected by the form of the team as a whole, but he still managed to churn out a few good performances.
Mumbai City FC ended their run in the seventh place of the table with 23 points from 18 games. They had a shaky ride throughout the season, and met with 7 wins, 2 draws and 9 losses.
Image courtesy: ISL
#4 Vishal Kaith
The 21-year-old gifted goalkeeper from Himachal Pradesh joined the AIFF Elite Academy in 2011 and started his career with Shillong Lajong FC ahead of the 2014/15 season of the Hero I-League.
Vishal Kaith made his first appearance In ISL with Pune City FC this season after having been already in the team as a squad player on loan last season. In this edition of the ISL, he made 45 saves as well as keeping 7 clean sheets by the end of the competition.
Pune City had a satisfactory outing this season, having won 9 and losing 6 games - these string of results led the team to finish in fourth place by the end of the league phase.
Image courtesy: ISL
#3 Karanjit Singh
The well-experienced goalkeeper has won two ISL titles now with Chennaiyin FC in the last four seasons. Karanjit Singh is one among the most successful goalkeepers so far in the competition by the sheer amount of success he has received with the team.
In this season, he appeared in 20 matches where he kept 7 clean sheets and made 51 saves. Chennaiyin FC became the ISL champion for the second time in the last four years, in no small part aided by their brilliant keeper.
The Chennai-based qualified for the playoffs by finishing second in the points table with 32 points from 18 matches, 8 points behind Bengaluru FC.
Image courtesy: ISL
#2 Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
The 26-year-old goalkeeper of Bengaluru FC and the Indian National football team made a fantastic start in his first season with the club.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who has also been part of India’s U-19, U-23 and senior squad, kept 7 clean sheets, made 46 saves and conceded only 17 goals throughout the competition. The 26-year-old keeper has also captained India against Puerto Rico in the international stage.
Bengaluru FC made an enticing start in their first season of ISL, by finishing first in the points table with 40 points from 18 games. They lost to Chennaiyin FC in the final but their performance won the hearts of the supporters and Bengaluru FC will be looking forward to bouncing back in the next season.
Image courtesy: ISL
#1 Subrata Pal
The 31-year-old goalkeeper kept 7 clean sheets and conceded only 15 goals in 18 matches. Subrata Paul awarded the Golden glove for his stunning performance throughout the competition with Jamshedpur FC.
Pal has also had experience with Mumbai City FC and NorthEast United FC in the past seasons, but this time he looked much stronger and more confident, especially when it came to 1-vs-1s against the strikers.
The team from Jamshedpur finished in the fifth place of the table with 26 points from 18 games. They lost to FC Goa in their last match of the ISL which was equally important for both the teams, and failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Image courtesy: ISL
Also read: 6 new foreign players with impressive performances in the ISL this season