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The Indian Super League's 5th edition is slated to begin in just four days and this season like its predecessor will have Indian players on the forefront.
Last season teams which had a stable Indian line up or had quality Indian players went onto play the finals and won the coveted trophy. With the number of foreign players allowed in the starting eleven reduced to five, ISL franchises have started investing a lot more into the Indian players.
Indian national team players like Sunil Chhetri, Jeje Lalpekhlua and Udanta Singh had considerable contributions to their teams' success even more than some of the foreigners in the side.
The Indian players scored a staggering 66 goals last season which was a steep increase compared to previous seasons. Teams which performed well in the previous editions of the league have had a bunch of Indian players who form the core of the team.
In this article, we will have a look five Indian players who should have been retained by their respective franchises:
*please note the teams mentioned within the bracket is the player's old team or the team that should have retained them.
#5 Narayan Das (FC Goa), New Team: Delhi Dynamos
The Indian National team defender who until recently was the first choice left back for Stephen Constantine had been FC Goa's go-to guy for the left-back slot in the ISL.
He is known to be a coach's player as every coach that he has played under, have praised him a lot and is known to be an obedient student. From Zico to Trevor Morgan to Stephen Constantine everyone has lauded the young Bengal born left-back.
Narayan is also one of the only four defenders to have more than 50 ISL appearances, and that speaks volumes of his contributions towards his team.
The Indian defender played 19 games last season for FC Goa and had one assist to his name. He made 34 tackles, 28 interceptions, 37 clearances and 23 blocks throughout the season. Narayan also had more than a thousand touches of the ball which is one of the highest for any defender in the league.
#4 Bipin Singh (ATK), New Team: Mumbai City FC
Bipin Singh's free-kick against FC Pune City in the VYBK in Kolkata was undoubtedly one of the goals of the season last year. The 30-yard sweet strike is etched in gold for the ATK faithful.
The 23-year-old Manipuri midfielder was one of the few positives for ATK last season, in what turned out to be a poor season. Bipin scored two goals and had one assist to his name. It was his set-piece delivery that earned him the tag of a dead ball specialist.
Bipin also had 39 crosses throughout the season with an average of 3.25 perfect crosses per game, a stat which is good as per Indian standards.
Bipin has already scored a couple of goals in the preseason for his new team Mumbai City FC, and it only goes to show that ATK will miss the services of the young Manipuri midfielder.
#3 Balwant Singh (Mumbai City FC), New Team: ATK
The Indian Super League's first ever Indian goal scorer, Balwant Singh was let go by or instead allowed to sign for title contenders ATK. Mumbai City will surely miss the Punjabi striker up front.
Balwant scored six goals last season and had one assist to his name. More than his goal scoring antics it was the way Balwant lead the Mumbai attack. His hardworking nature also helped Mumbai earn a lot of crucial points from crunch situations.
He had 17 tackles, 11 interceptions, 14 clearances and 8 blocks during the season, and those stats speak highly about his work rate.
His goalscoring ability was never in doubt and Mumbai will miss his poacher instincts inside the box.
#2 Seiminlen 'Len' Doungel ( Northeast United FC), New Team: Kerala Blasters
When the times are dark, it provides the perfect platform for a hero to rise and shine. Seiminlen Doungel was Northeast United's hero last season, by becoming the first ever Northeast United player to score a hattrick in the ISL.
He was also the highest goalscorer for Northeast United with four goals. Len as he is commonly known also had an assist to his name, along with numerous key passes.
The trait of Len which helped him get a national team call-up was his work rate and ability to track back and help the defenders. Len had 32 tackles, 13 interceptions, 4 clearances and 13 blocks throughout the season. He also had 25 crosses to his name.
His performance for NEUFC earned him a national team call-up.
Northeast United FC committed a big blunder by allowing him to join the Kerala Blasters, and 'The Highlanders' are sure to miss the Manipuri winger's presence in the team this season, especially with Seityasen Singh injured.
#1 Subhasish Bose (Bengaluru FC), New Team: Mumbai City FC
Subhasish Bose has had a meteoric rise in Indian football, and Bose is one of the best defenders in the country the at the moment. He has recently captained the National team in the SAFF championship in Bangladesh.
Subhasish was praised by fans and critics alike last season for his performance with Bengaluru FC in the ISL. It was his versatility that caught everyone's eyes. Predominantly a left-back Subhasish can play as a centre back with equal ease.
His runs up and down the flanks and his tactical defending has made him India's number one left back at the moment. His positioning is something that has been praised by all, and the young lad from West Bengal seems to be getting better with every passing day.
The 23-year-old defender played 18 games for Bengaluru FC last season and managed to keep seven clean sheets. He had 33 tackles, 15 interceptions, 59 clearances, and 28 blocks throughout the season. He had 26 crosses to his name to go with his one assist. Everyone praised his stats.
Bengaluru FC will surely miss the service of Subhasish Bose, as he had fit into the system entirely and had an excellent understanding with Juanan and Rahul Bheke.
Another big thing that Bengaluru will miss and Mumbai will gain are his giant long throws.
