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The Indian Super League (ISL) draft saw 134 players getting picked up by 10 teams for the upcoming and the biggest ISL season of all time. Over 200 players were involved in the draft pick but with most of the teams already retaining two players, over 70 players could not find a club for the 2017 season. The salaries of all the players participating in the process were already fixed but due to the budget constraints and the differing needs for each side, some big names had to miss out on finding a new club.
Teams had the option of signing up to 18 Indian players in the draft and had a transfer kitty of 12.5 crore rupees. Not all the teams splashed the cash around in the draft pick with a majority of the money being reserved for some big foreign names. Signing young Indian talents was the flavour of the draft as many experienced Indian campaigners saw themselves not getting selected in any side out of ten. Here is a list of the 5 Indian stars who shockingly went unsold in the draft:
#5 Sandip Nandy
The majority of the teams were behind an experienced custodian between the posts and accordingly spent a considerable amount on finding a top goalkeeper for their side. Despite this, a player having the experience and the skill set like Sandip Nandy going unsold came as a big surprise.
The 42-year-old had a base price of 36 lakh rupees and was expected to sign for one of the newer sides in the league. The man having 18 years of experience at the highest level was hoping to play for at least two more years and could have been a good leader for any side in the competition.
#4 Nallapan Mohanraj
The fullback has been a regular name in the Indian footballing circuit in the past decade or so. He rose to prominence after signing for Mohun Bagan in 2007 and became one of the best left-backs in the country. He was a part of the ATK squad that won the inaugural Indian Super League and plied his trade for Chennaiyin FC last season.
There were rumours about the Chennai outfit re-signing their former player along with Mumbai City FC who reportedly were long time admirers of the experienced defender. But yesterday saw a completely different story as Mohanraj could not find a buyer from 10 teams and hence remained unsold in the draft pick.
#3 Alen Deory
The 21-year-old forward is considered as one of the most promising youngsters in India and has been in tremendous form since the last year or so. Deory was a crucial part of the Shillong Lajong side in the I-League last season and had played for North East United in the ISL.
Having a base price of just 10 lakhs, Deory was expected to have a number of suitors waiting to go into negotiations for the talented winger/striker. But Deory remained unsold despite having a relatively low base price. The current India U-23 player's versatility would have been highly useful and a player who has played for every age group for the national side would have come handy in the big games.
#2 Gouramangi Singh
The 31-year-old is one of the regular players in the Indian team and comes with a bundle of experience behind him. He has played for a number of clubs in his long career and has won every possible trophy out there. Last season for FC Pune City, Singh was an impactful defender for the Antonio Habas side who deployed him in a back four and even in the back three at times.
Singh commanded a fee of 35 lakhs in the draft pick which was a fair valuation of the experienced customer. But the central defender was left to rue his luck as any of the teams did not find his experience tempting enough to spend 30 lakhs on acquiring his services. The Tata Academy product was linked with a move to Jamshedpur FC but that did not materialise adding more misery for the player.
#1 Dharmaraj Ravanan
The 29-year-old plied his trade for FC Pune City in the ISL and was always counted in the bracket of being one of the best defenders in the league. Ravanan was Mr Dependable for Pune and for all his previous sides. The defender had a glorious time with the I-League side, Churchill Brothers as he won four honours in three years with the Goan club, however, he finished eighth in the I-League last season with Chennai City FC .
Ravanan had a base price of 50 lakhs in the draft pick and was one of the costliest defenders in the list. His price might have been the biggest reason that no team decided to go for him because his footballing abilities otherwise make him a must have for any team in the ISL. Ravanan is the biggest name to go unsold yesterday with the former Dempo player now expected to play for Chennai City FC in the I-League.
