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The Indian Super League has been the preferred league as far as the star Indian players go, and most of them left their I-League clubs to join the ISL bandwagon. The ISL, in its short span, has been able to catch the imagination of the Indian players.
Here, we take a look at players, who have remained loyal to their franchises and not moved to other franchises in search for more money. Only Indian players have been included in this list of players who have been playing for the same ISL lcub from the very first season.
Jeje Lalpekhlua (Chennaiyin FC)
The Mizo sniper is undoubtedly one of Indian football’s modern stars. Known for his agility and acrobatic nature, Jeje is a clinical poacher in the box and has scored 19 times in 45 appearances for the Indian national team.
Jeje has been a part of the Chennaiyin set up right from the beginning, and has been instrumental in making Chennaiyin champions during season two, and leading them to the top of the table during the first season. Jeje was one of the first players who was retained by Chennaiyin FC. There are also reports that he has agreed to sign a long term contract with the Chenna- based outfit. Jeje has amassed a total of 13 goals for Chennai in his three years at the club.
Sandesh Jhingan (Kerala Blasters)
Before the inaugural ISL, very few Indians had heard of Sandesh Jhingan, but after the ISL had ended and Jhingan was awarded the ‘Emerging Player of the Tournament’ award, Sandesh Jhingan became a household name. After his successful ISL campaign, Jhingan made his senior team debut and has been a regular for the Indian national team.
The 'Minister Of Defence' was picked up by Kerala during the inaugural ISL drafts, and he has been an Integral part of the Kerala squad ever since. He was also the first player to be retained by Kerala for this season’s ISL. Before the third ISL season, a lot of franchises wanted to sign Sandesh by offering him over-the-moon type of salaries, but the sturdy Punjabi stayed loyal and played for Kerala Blasters.
TP Rehnesh (North East United FC)
This Kerala-born goal keeper is another one of those players, whom people rarely knew of, before the start of the ISL. This young goalkeeper made greek legend Alexandra Tzovas sit on the bench during the inaugural edition. Rehnesh has been the Highlanders' go-to man during times of despair.
Rehnesh was selected by NEUFC during the inaugural ISL, and has been with them through thick and thin. He was the first player to be retained by NEUFC for this season’s ISL and fans just love the fact that their favourite Indian player is coming back again to play for the Highlanders.
The NEUFC custodian's performance has earned him a spot in the Indian U23 team, and also got him a national team camp call up.
Karanjit Singh (Chennaiyin FC)
The Punjabi keeper was picked up by Chennai to be their Indian first choice keeper. The former India international has since then been an integral part of the Chennai set up. Karanjit's experience in Indian football helped Marco Materazzi and his team a lot.
He was the second player to be retained by Chennaiyin this season after Jeje, and will surely play a more important role this season.
Mandar Rao Desai (FC Goa)
Mandar Rao Desai was drafted into the FC Goa team on loan from Dempo, and has been a crucial member of the team since then. A favourite pupil of the legendary Zico, Mandar has played nearly all the games for FC Goa, missing out just a few game in the last three seasons.
Mandar made himself a household name after his performance for FC Goa. Even though he had a loan stint at Bengaluru FC, it was in the I-League, and he came back to FC Goa for the ISL. Mandar has also had training stints with Valencia B team in Spain, something that was arranged by FC Goa.
Laxmikant Kattimani (FC Goa)
The Goa number one has been one of the most underrated keepers in Indian football. Laxmikant Kattimani has been one of those players, who is a pure Goa crowd favourite and has played in various teams in Goa since the start of his career.
Kattimani was the first player to be retained by FC Goa, and it was something that was expected after his performances and dedication towards the Gaurs. Kattimani is such a cult figure in Goa, that if you ask any local football follower who best goal keeper in India is, the answer will inadvertently be Laxmikant Kattimani.
Dhanachandra Singh (Chennaiyin FC)
This Manipuri left back was picked up by Chennaiyin FC during the inaugural ISL draft, and impressed coach Marco Materazzi with his performance and hardwork on the field and on the practice ground too.
The Manipuri defender had been instrumental in the second season when Chennaiyin became Champions. Even though he was not retained for this season ISL, Chennaiyin picked him up in the ISL draft which goes to show the amount of importance Dhana has in the Chennaiyin set up.
