Combined XI of all the former Premier League players who will feature in the second edition of the ISL

Arguably the best in the world, there is little doubt that the Barclays Premier League is a multinational league owing to all the International players who ply their trade in England each year.The inaugural season of the Hero Indian Super League saw a good deal of former top-flight professionals, not just from England but also from other European leagues battle it out in the subcontinent. With less than a month to go for the start of Hero Indian Super League edition 2, it is that time of the year when all our eyes are focussed on the big foreign names and marquee signings who will be donning the ISL team colours.To help you keep tabs, here is a combined XI of all the former English Premier League players, who will be featuring for the 8 different Hero ISL franchises this year.

#1 GK: Stephen Bywater

34-year old Stephen Bywater is certainly not the best goal keeper the Premier League has ever seen, he was part of the Derby County outfit that got relegated after a woeful 2007-2008 Premier League season with just 11 points from 38 games.

Having spent his non-Premier League days with sides such as Cardiff City, Hull City, Sheffield Wednesday and Doncaster Rovers in the English Championships Bywater will bring in a great deal of experience into Kerala Blasters.

Bywater will be taking over the gloves from another seasoned English Goalkeeper, David James, who played an integral part between the sticks to help Kerala reach the finals of last year’s tournament.

The Blasters seem to be in experienced hands this year as well.

#2 CB: Roger Johnson

FC Pune City’s latest acquisition Roger Johnson has played in the Premier League for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Birmingham City as well as West Ham. He moved to the Premier League in 2009 after a £5 Million transfer to Birmingham City.

Johnson, who stands tall at 6 feet and 3 inches, played a vital role in Birmingham City’s triumphant League Cup campaign in 2011 and was also an FA cup runner up with Cardiff City in 2008.

Johnson’s major attributes are his aerial ability and his skill to read the game from the back. He will be the main man at the back for David Platt’s FC Pune City’s backline.

The English Centre back, still fresh from Sam Allardyce's 2014 West Ham Premier League squad will have to be the stone wall in defence for Pune, if they are to better their defensive performance from last year.

#3 CB: Bruno Perone

Brazilian Bruno Perone made his Barclays Premier League debut on 23rd August 2011, for Queens Park Rangers. Perone had a disappointing stint in the Premier League as he only made five appearances for Rangers, before making a move back home to Brazil.

Perone played regular football in the Brazilian league, with sides such as Figueirense and Tombense. His Brazilian flair and magic will be something to look forward once the league kicks off.

Kerala Blasters’ manager, Peter Taylor attained the services of Perone on the 17th of August after he inked a contract with the Kerala Franchise. He will be joining the strong defensive backline of Kerala Blasters, already boasting of names such as Sandesh Jhingan and Peter Ramage.

#4 RB: Bernard Mendy

Those who followed the Hero ISL last year, will know that Bernand Mendy was a rock in Chennayin FC’s defence in the very first instalment of league.

With 2 goals from 49 appearances for Hull City in the Premier League, Mendy is a versatile player who can slot in anywhere in the back line. The former Paris Saint-Gemain defender also proved his goal scoring ability in the league last year, with a spectacular acrobatic overhead kick against Kerala Blasters.

Bernard Mendy, now a local fan favourite in Chennai, will return to action in the ISL 2 for Marco Materazzi’s Chennayin FC.

#5 LB: John Arne Riise

Having won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA cup, the FA Cup and the League cup with Liverpool, John Arne Riise will be now looking to add an ISL winner’s medal to his glistening trophy cabinet.

After much speculation about him coming to India, it was Delhi Dynamos, managed by Robert Carlos who were able to rope in John Arne Riise to the Indian Super League. Riise who has 110 caps for Norway, has also played for Fulham in the Premier League and also for AS Roma in Italy.

Riise has scored plenty of brilliant goals from the back in the past and it will definitely be a treat to watch the veteran full back score a thunderbolt or two with his powerful left leg in the ISL.

#6 CDM: Didier Zokora

Didier Zokora spent 3 long years in North London with Tottenham Hotspurs, in the Premier League. With 88 Premier League appearances and copious amounts of experience, Zokora will look to pull strings in the heart of Pune FC’s midfield.

During his time with Spurs, he helped them attain League cup glory in 2008 and also won the Copa Del Rey in Spain with Sevilla in 2010.

Zokora is one player who would not shy away from a tough challenge with his playing style characterized by strong tackles and a ball winning mentality. The 34-year old is the most capped player for his national team, Ivory Coast and his opponents in the ISL will be surely wary of the Ivorian.

#7 RM: Adrian Mutu

Adrian Mutu is known infamously in England for his cameo appearance in the League with Chelsea. After his £15.6 million move to Chelsea, he spent just one season in the English top flight, scoring 6 goals in the process.

The former Romanian national team captain, Mutu spent a majority of his career in Italy, scoring 103 goals in his time in the SerieA with teams such as Fiorentina, Juventus, Parma and Inter Milan.

At 36 years of age, it seems Adrian Mutu still has something left in his locker to show us. The veteran striker will lead FC Pune City’s challenge to win the ISL.

#8 LM: Florent Malouda

Florent Malouda will be one of the only two players in the Hero Indian Super League to own a Barclays Premier League winner’s medal. He was also part of the French National team to finish runner-up in the 2006 Fifa World Cup in Germany.

As we have seen on plenty of occasions in the past, Malouda is a pacey winger who is capable of making exquisite runs down the flanks while providing good service into the box.

The Delhi franchise which finished fifth in the table last time out, will have an eye for the ultimate prize with the Frenchman on their side. Malouda, who in the past has played under highly distinguished managers such as Jose Mourinho, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and Carlos Ancelotti will now play under Roberto Carlos for Delhi Dynamos.

#9 CAM: Elano Blumer

Top scorer in the introductory season of the Indian Super League, the former Manchester City man Elano took centre stage last year. The Chennayin FC midfielder will look to pick things up from where he left off.

Elano arrived in England from Shakhtar Donetsk, in 2007. Between 2007 and 2009 he made 62 appearances for Manchester City, finding the net 14 times. Elano possesses a great set of passes in his drawer and is also a precision set piece taker.

With 8 brilliantly taken goals last season, Elano’s scintillating performance could not help Chennayin to the final and will look to set things right this time around.

#10 ST: Tuncay Sanli

33-year old Tuncay anli spent 4 years in England, representing Middlesbrough and Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers.

His style of play involves pace and agility clubbed with lethal finishing. anli made it a habit of scoring goals against the high-flyers such as Manchester United and Liverpool through his time in the Premier League.

The former Turkish international also has a respectable tally of 22 goals from 88 appearances for his national side.

A scorer of great goals, anli will look to be FC Pune Citys talisman in season 2 of the ISL.The Turkwill also tryto reignite his form from his Premier League days, when he joins the strong foreign contingent at FC Pune Cityin a bid to help them win the ultimate prize.

#11 ST: Nicolas Anelka

With 125 league goals from 364 Premier League appearances, Nicolas Anelka needs no introduction. Ardent Premier league fans will be accustomed seeing Nicolas Anelka find the back of the net with his trademark clinical finishing.

Anelka has won all the major honours in Europe and was the top scorer for Chelsea in 2009 also winning the Premier League Golden Boot the same year.

The former French International scored 2 goals from 7 appearences in last year’s campaign and will return in the second edition of the league with Mumbai City FC. Anelka, who admitted to have enjoyed last year’s ISL, will join strike partner Sunil Chettri, India’s all time top scorer, to form a behemoth attacking force for the Mumbai side.