Because the number of foreign players in the starting XI was reduced to four, teams started recruiting a stronger Indian contingent and the local lads got more opportunities.
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The 2021-22 Hero Indian Super League (ISL) concluded last week with Hyderabad FC clinching the coveted trophy by defeating Kerala Blasters FC in the final. The title-decider proved to be the icing on the cake as both teams displayed great quality and fighting spirit, and couldn’t be separated in 120 minutes and the game went to penalties. HFC goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani’s heroics helped the Nizams to lift their maiden title.
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— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) March 24, 2022
Prior to the start of the season, new regulations were introduced to reduce the number of foreign players a club can field in their starting XI to just four. This led to Indian players getting more opportunities in key positions. Teams started recruiting a stronger Indian contingent and the local lads lived up to expectations, not dropping the quality of football on display.
On that note let’s look at some of the top Indian performers from the 2021-22 ISL season.
The 21-year-old Kerala Blasters central defender has been one of the finds of the season. Although Hormipam was in his first ISL season, the Manipuri footballer quickly acclimated to the top-flight football and went on to make 14 appearances for the Kochi-based team, making 57 tackles, 31 interceptions, 67 clearances and 11 blocks. KBFC kept eight clean sheets in the league, most by any team and Hormipam was an integral part of the defensive unit.
The Manipuri footballer was handed his first ISL start in the 3-0 win over Mumbai City FC. He finished the match with impressive figures of Five tackles, eight clearances, five interceptions (100% accuracy) and that was enough to retain his berth for the next contest.
The Kerala Blasters FC midfielder has been touted as the next big thing in Indian football for the last couple of years. However the 24-year-old was struggling to live up to the expectations and didn’t have the stats to justify his talent. Under Ivan Vukomanovic, the Kerala-boy progressed leaps and bounds, he finished the season with six goals and one assist in 21 appearances for the Yellow Army.
Sahal netted the only goal of the match against Jamshedpur FC in the semi-final first leg fixture and that proved decisive as the Blasters went through to the final with a 2-1 aggregate win. The former Kannur University player also netted a brilliant solo goal against Mumbai City FC during the league phase.
The ATK Mohun Bagan forward has been one of the standout performers of the season. The 23-year-old Goan finished the 2021-22 ISL season as the top Indian goalscorer with eight goals and four assists to his name in 22 appearances for the Mariners. He has tormented defenders all through the ISL season with his pace and brilliant dribbling abilities.
Liston has the confidence to take on defenders which many Indian players don’t have. He mostly likes to play down the left wing. Predominantly he is a right-footed player, therefore he has a tendency to pick the ball in deep areas or wide in the wings, cut inside and try to curl the ball into the far corner.
The 23-year-old full-back had a breakthrough season with Bengaluru FC. Although BFC failed to qualify for the play-offs, Roshan was their stand-out performer. The youngster was the leading Indian assist provider and third overall in the season with seven assists in 17 matches and was the first-choice set-piece taker. He went on to win the 2021-22 Hero ISL Emerging Player of the year award for his stunning performance.
Rohan’s only goal of the season came against KBFC through a brilliant free-kick in the 56th-minute of the game that helped the Blues to secure a 1-0 victory. The free-kick goal was yet another example of what talent and skill he possesses.
Overall, it wasn’t a great season for the goalkeeper’s but KBFC custodian Prabhsukhan Gill delivered a solid performance throughout the season to secure the Golden Glove award. The 21-year-old shot-stopper kept seven clean sheets in the campaign.
Gill was a second choice keeper for the Blasters at the start of the season and got his chance when Albino Gomez got injured in the fourth match against Odisha FC. The Punjabi lad grabbed the opportunity with both hands and then went on to make 20 appearances for the Yellow Army.
The former Indian Arrows player has a calm head and always tries to stand firm, his ball collection and ball distribution abilities are extremely good. But Gill’s most important trait is his positional awareness, despite being so young he has quickly learned the art of taking the right position at the right time, helping him to make the saves look a bit more easier.
