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The Hero Indian Super League will return for it's the fifth edition on the 29th of September as 10 teams spread out across the length and breadth of the country battle it out for the title this year.
The new season will include three breaks in total with the mid-season break coming in December and lasting until February so as to facilitate the easy involvement of national team players in the Asia Cup scheduled to start in January.
The inaugural game of the new season will take place in Kolkata when ATK host a familiar foe in the form of Kerala Blasters to flag-off the latest edition of the tournament.
The new season is expected to produce a lot of surprises as most teams take to the field with a breath of fresh air surrounding their camp when compared to last season.
There are several high-profile additions to the squads this year as teams try to leave their mark on the tournament by snatching the trophy away from defending champions Chennaiyin FC. On that note, let's take a closer look at five foreign signings to watch out for in the ISL this season:
#5 Chencho Gyeltshen - Bengaluru FC
The Bhutanese winge joined last year's finalists following his title-winning exploits in the I-League with Minerva Punjab FC last season.
Chencho Gyeltshen is nicknamed as the 'Bhutanese Ronaldo' and offers a lot of flair while going forward for the Blues from Bengaluru.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a productive debut season in the I-League with Minerva Punjab as he guided the club to their first ever league title in a season where he registered seven goals and seven assists across just over 1,600 minutes of playing time in the 18 matches he played during the 2017/18 season.
Gyeltshen will prove to be an exciting addition to Carles Cuadrat's team this year but his playing time could come under serious jeopardy considering the fact that he fits in a similar role to Sunil Chhetri within the club.
However, the attacker has proved that he is no stranger to making an impact for his team and it is highly unlikely that he would be forced to watch on from the sidelines for too long.
The winger has scored seven goals in 22 appearances for Bhutan and is also the country's leading goal-scorer at the international stage.
#4 Carlos Pena - FC Goa
Carlos Pena has turned up for a number of clubs during his time across the various divisions in Spain starting with Albacete in 2006 after representing the various age groups across Barcelona's youth team set up at Nou Camp.
The full-back has joined FC Goa from Lorca FC, who were relegated to the fourth tier of Spanish football at the end of last season, and brings with him a wealth of experience having been a professional at the highest level for over a decade.
The 35-year-old had also enjoyed his involvement in La Liga with Real Valladolid, where he made around 54 appearances in Spain's top-flight across two seasons, before facing the drop at the end of the 2013/14 season.
Pena is expected to add a lot of steel to the Gaurs' rearguard for the upcoming season as they hope to build on their semi-final exit last season.
Pena was also a member of the Spain U-19 side that won the European Championship in 2002 and was also involved when the U-20 side finished as runners-up in the 2003 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
#3 John Johnson - ATK
John Johnson is no stranger to Indian football and enjoyed five successful seasons at Bengaluru FC before making the switch to ATK ahead of the upcoming ISL season.
The defender, who has won five titles during his time in India, is one of the biggest scalps of the new season and ATK will be aiming to make the most of his experience to lead the Kolkata giants.
Steve Coppell relies on defensive stability to help his teams achieve the desired results and the addition of Johnson will surely help ATK incorporate some much-needed steel to the rearguard in a bid to try and better their disappointing ninth-place finish last season.
ATK were also the second-worst in the league with respect to the number of goals conceded last season and the two-time ISL winners will be hoping for a better output this year as they aim to recapture their lost glory under the new manager.
#2 Gianni Zuiverloon - Delhi Dynamos
The Dutchman has experience of playing in both the Premier League as well as La Liga during his time at West Brom and Mallorca respectively.
A product of the infamous Feyenoord academy, Gianni Zuiverloon has joined Delhi Dynamos for the fifth edition of the ISL after leaving Cultural Leonesa in Spain's third tier at the end of last season.
Zuiverloon, who has registered over 180 appearances in the Eredivisie with four different clubs, is equally adept at playing as a center-back as well as a right-back.
The 31-year-old joined the Hawthorns from SC Heerenveen in the summer of 2018 and went on to spend three years with the Baggies, rising to prominence when they secured promotion from the Championship under Roberto Di Matteo.
The defender is expected to bring with him a lot of experience and footballing philosophy that can help Delhi Dynamos to a better showing than their eighth-place finish in the table last season.
#1 Tim Cahill - Jamshedpur FC
Tim Cahill is the flagship signing at this year's tournament and has joined Jamshedpur FC following his exploits in the 2018 World Cup in Russia earlier in the summer.
The Australian marked his appearance in four consecutive World Cup finals when he came on in the second half against Peru during the Socceroos' 2-0 loss in their final group game in Russia.
Cahill is also his country's all-time leading goal-scorer with 50 goals from 107 international appearances over the course of his 14-year long involvement with the national team.
The striker, who made a name for himself in the Premier League with Everton, has played a part in over 225 games in England's top-flight while also scoring 56 goals and setting up another 23 in the process.
The addition of Cahill will certainly bolster Jamshedpur FC's chances of nicking a goal or two in crunch games especially considering the fact that they were one of the second-lowest goal-scorers in last year's tournament alongside ATK.
Jamshedpur finished just outside the top four last season and will be aiming to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history under the leadership of Cahill this season.
