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The Indian Super League (ISL) draft earlier today saw the participation of more than 200 players out of which only 134 were picked up by the ten franchises. As things stand, every ISL club now has a squad of 15 players or more, the majority of which are Indians.
While the salaries of the players involved in the draft were fixed, it took huge amounts of thought and consideration from the key decision-makers of all ten clubs to choose and pick their targets, most of whom were uncertainties owing to the format of the draft.
That said, clubs weren't reluctant to loosen their purse strings and almost all the heavily-priced players were signed up. Only certain players like Dharmaraj Ravanan and Nalappan Mohanraj were left out owing to various factors ranging from squad size and budgetary constraints, but ISL clubs were happy to spend their way to buy the best Indian talents.
Let us take a look at the most expensively assembled squads, in ascending order, that came out of the draft earlier today.
#10 FC Goa - Rs 2.59 crores
The Gaurs spent heavily on two India internationals, Narayan Das and Pronay Halder, for Rs 58 lakhs each but otherwise, they were fairly restrained in their approach, aiming to sign local Goan players. Defender Chinglensana Singh and forward Brandon Fernandes arrived for a combined Rs 46.5 lakhs, while local favourite Romeo Fernandes, who was priced at Rs 50 lakhs, was not signed, a sign of the club's austere measures.
Also Read: ISL 2017 Draft: Teams and full list of players sold after the draft
#9 FC Pune City - Rs 2.72 crores
The Stallions made a raft of low-priced signings with only the Rs 40 lakh-rated Kean Lewis and the Rs 45 lakh-rated Lalchhuanmawia being the big-money arrivals. Baljit Sahni was drafted into the squad late, but Pune City will look to focus more on overseas imports once again after their subdued participation in the domestic draft.
The Orange-Purples spent a total of Rs 2.72 crores on 14 players, with as many as nine players under the Rs 20 lakh salary mark.
#8 NorthEast United - Rs 2.89 crores
The Highlanders were never expected to break the bank for high-profile signings. Instead, NorthEast United focussed on roping in a strong line-up of northeast India based players. Among their big acquisitions was Lalrindika Ralte, who will command a salary of Rs 50 lakhs. The Mizo midfielder is among the club's star signings alongside India internationals Holicharan Narzary and Nirmal Chettri.
NorthEast spent Rs 2.89 crores in total during the draft, but in the likes of Robert Lalthlamuana, Seiminlen Doungel, Didika, Narzary and Malemnganba Meitei, the club have got a fine local spine.
#7 Kerala Blasters - Rs 3.48 crores
Kerala Blasters came into the draft having done half their job beforehand by retaining CK Vineeth and Sandesh Jhingan. The Men in Yellow splashed the cash on local lad Rino Anto and India regular Jackichand Singh, both of whom will command a combined salary of Rs 1.18 crores.
Apart from Anto and Jacki, the Blasters also spent big on midfielders Milan Singh and Arata Izumi, while goalkeeper Subhashish Roy Chowdhury also commanded a cool Rs 37 lakhs. The draft turned out to be a damp squib for Blasters fans, who had been spoiled by Jhingan and Vineeth's retention.
#6 Bengaluru FC - Rs 3.54 crores
Bengaluru FC were the fifth lowest spenders in the draft and ensured they brought back the spine of the team that has been so successful in the recent past. The Blues signed Lenny Rodrigues, Harmanjit Khabra, Alwyn George and Lalthuammawia Ralte among their released players, while Rahul Bheke was the notable big-money signing.
The Blues spent a total of Rs 3.54 crores on 13 players, however, the signings of Zotea Ralte, Thongkhosiem Haokip and Boithang Haokip could prove to be masterstrokes for the club. The trio from northeast India will command a cumulative Rs 75 lakhs in salary which is quite a steal for the defending Federation Cup champions.
#5 Chennaiyin FC - Rs 3.57 crores
The 2015 champions were left frustrated after they entered the draft late. Their plan was to resign most of their former players but only Dhanachandra Singh and Thoi Singh were signed for big money. The duo from Manipur will take home a combined Rs 1.07 crores in salary, but that was about it from Chennaiyin in terms of splashing the cash.
Mohammed Rafi was signed late on, but the Rs 3.57 crores that Chennaiyin spent looks low going by the club's lofty standing. Among their other signings, midfielder Bikramjit Singh will command a salary of Rs 53 lakhs.
#4 Mumbai City - Rs. 3.73 crores
Mumbai City spent the majority of their money on signing striker Balwant Singh, goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya and defender Raju Gaikwad, not elite quality but good enough for the ISL. That said, the Ranbir Kapoor-owned team's Rs 3.73 crore outlay is a bit on the higher side considering none of their Indian players is a regular in the national team.
That aside, Mumbai City also roped in Aiborlang Khongjee, Sanju Pradhan and Mehrajuddin Wadoo for a combined value of Rs 1.08 crores, suggesting that their initial plan in the draft had to be altered as other teams got more favourable picks.
#3 Delhi Dynamos - Rs. 3.91 crores
It was always expected that Delhi Dynamos would outspend most clubs in the draft owing to their entry in the very first round. That said, the Lions spent only the third highest amount of money to rope in their 15 Indian players, the standouts being Pritam Kotal, Albino Gomes, Romeo Fernandes and Seityasen Singh.
The aforementioned quartet will cost the club a combined Rs 2.25 crores, forming a major chunk of the club's Rs 3.91 crore outlay in the draft. Other notable acquisitions for Delhi Dynamos were Lallianzuala Chhangte, Sena Ralte and Pratik Chowdhary.
#2 ATK - Rs. 4.42 crores
Defending champions ATK gave their head coach Teddy Sheringham and technical director Ashley Westwood the freedom of the chequebook as the English dup set about building a formidable team. The likes of Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Jayesh Rane, Robin Singh and Ashutosh Mehta will set the club back by Rs 2.69 crores, more than half of the money the two-time champions will spend on the other nine players they signed.
ATK will go full-throttle for their third ISL title next season judging by their intention in the draft. However, it remains to be seen whether Sheringham can do justice to his club's Rs 4.42 crore outlay on the pitch.
#1 Tata Jamshedpur FC - Rs 4.73 crores
The new kids in town showed their intent in the draft as they spent Rs 4.73 crores in the draft to build a squad of 15 players from scratch. Among their biggest buys were Anas Edathodika and Subrata Pal, while Mehtab Hossain, Robin Gurung, Bikash Jairu and Souvik Chakraborty also arrived with big price tags.
Steve Coppell could be said to have got a squad brimming with talent; whether he takes it to the final again next year remains to be seen. That said, one thing is for certain that Jamshedpur FC will be more than pushovers in next season's ISL.
