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Unlike most of the leagues around the world, the ISL champions do not necessarily have to top the points table to claim the trophy. The tournament's peculiar and enthralling playoffs format allows equal chances to each of the top four teams.
The qualified teams lock horns in a two-legged affair, with the winners clashing in the ISL finals for the silverware. Having players who have had experience of the final stage of the competition does prove to be an advantage in the ISL.
Although no player has reached the playoffs in all the editions of ISL, four players have made it to this stage of the competition on five different occasions. Barring one name, no one has been able to do so for a single team.
Surprisingly, there are no foreign players in this list. This can be attributed to the fact that apart from Raphael Augusto, Tiri and Iain Hume, no international player has spent five seasons in ISL. On that note, let us meet the quartet who has reached the ISL playoffs on more occasions than any other player.
#4 Harmanjot Singh Khabra
Harmanjot Singh Khabra is one of the most active players in the Indian football circuit despite having had a 14-year professional football career. The all-rounder is known for his high work rate and ability to play across multiple positions in the pitch.
Khabra was Chennaiyin FC's first pick in the 2014 ISL Draft, and the India international didn't disappoint his owners as he guided his team to the pole position. Although Chennaiyin came up short that year in the semi-finals, Khabra helped them go the distance in 2015, thereby winning his first ISL championship. Not surprisingly, Khabra was a regular in both campaigns.
The midfielder's stint with Chennaiyin FC ended in 2017. The 32-year-old then signed a three-season deal with Bengaluru FC. Albert Roca and Carles Cuadrat have used Khabra as a defensive midfielder as well as a full-back. The veteran has accumulated 52 appearances for the Blues, helping them clinch the ISL trophy in 2019.
#3 Thongkhosiem Haokip
Contracted with Pune FC in 2014, the club didn't release Thongkhosiem Haokip for the inaugural edition of ISL. But after scoring seven goals in 18 I-League appearances, he made everyone take note of his talent, and FC Goa picked him in the 2015 draft.
Although he made only six appearances under Zico, Haokip registered four goals that included a hat-trick. He also recorded an assist in a dramatic final where FC Goa lost to Chennaiyin FC.
Kerala Blasters signed Haokip for the third season of ISL, but he mustered only 48 playing minutes. Nevertheless, his side reached the finals where they lost to ATK on penalties.
After a stint with East Bengal where he was mainly restricted to the bench, Haokip penned a three-year deal with Bengaluru FC. In the 2017-18 season, he was used primarily in the AFC Cup and made only two appearances in the league phase of ISL.
Continuing his substitute appearances, Haokip registered two goals in 21 matches for Bengaluru FC throughout the next two seasons. The Blues reached the playoffs in each of the three seasons, which included winning the title in 2019.
#2 Pronay Halder
After graduating from the famed Tata Football Academy and representing India regularly in the U-19 levels, Pronay Halder signed for AIFF's Developmental side Pailan Arrows in 2011. Two years later, he shifted his base to Dempo SC and joined FC Goa as part of a deal between the ISL franchise and the I-League club in the ISL Players' Draft.
Although Halder never made it to a matchday squad, his side reached the finals in the inaugural edition of ISL. The defensive midfielder made eight appearances for FC Goa in the next version of the competition, registering one assist as the Gaurs finished runners up in 2015.
In 2016, Pronay signed for Mohun Bagan in I-League and was loaned to Mumbai City FC. The Islanders topped the table but crashed out in the semis, with Halder playing five matches for them.
Pronay Halder finally got his big break in 2017 when he made 14 appearances and was the focal point in FC Goa's midfield as they reached the semi-finals. After ATK tied him to a two-year contract, the India international came up with a goal and an assist apiece in the 2019-20 ISL season as the club clinched the title.
#1 Mandar Rao Dessai
While all of the three previously mentioned names made it to the playoffs with different teams, only Mandar Rao Dessai has reached this stage of the ISL with one side. Having made 97 appearances for FC Goa, he is the only Indian player in ISL to have played for the same club across all six seasons.
As part of the Dempo setup, FC Goa procured Mandar Rao Dessai for the first season of ISL. The player made 11 appearances as Goa reached the playoffs. Then playing in the left-wing, he scored three goals and bagged two assists as the Gaurs lost in the finals.
Mandar Rao Dessai was again a part of the FC Goa setup in 2017-18 who bowed out to Chennaiyin FC in the semis. A season later, head coach Sergio Lobera made him play as a left-back, but the team came up short once again as Bengaluru FC pipped Goa in the finals.
In the 2019-20 season of ISL, Mandar Rao Dessai captained FC Goa to the top of the points table. However, the club lost to Chennaiyin FC for the second time in the semis. Rao Dessai remains the only player in the history of ISL to have reached the playoffs on five different occasions but not lift the trophy even once.
