ISL 2019-20: 5 things to look out for in the first week

#1 Indian players look to get past their abject outing against Bangladesh

The Indian national team should benefit from ISL in the year of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

The Indian players were nowhere near their best in the tie against Bangladesh and much of that blame has been put on the off-season. The long lay-off also meant others couldn't prove their worth as Igor Stimac didn't have a crop of players who had been playing regularly in the build-up to the match.

However, with the ISL set for a grand launch, the Indian players have to up their game. The ones who admire only the national team should keep an eye on Bengaluru FC's matches as five players who started against Bangladesh- Sunil Chhetri, Ashique Kuruniyan, Udanta Singh, Rahul Bheke, and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu- will take on NorthEast United in the opening week.

Mumbai City FC had four players from the 23-member squad while FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, and ATK have three each. ISL is also known for producing exciting youngsters, who go on to leave their mark on national team later, like Sandesh Jhingan in 2014.

After beginning the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on an underwhelming note, the ISL couldn't come at a better time for the national team players to regain their form.