The Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 started with Kerala Blasters�?2-1 victory over Bengaluru FC in the opening fixture at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on September 21.

As many as 12 teams are competing in the 10th edition of the Indian Super League. 

Bengaluru FC, Chennaiyin FC, East Bengal FC, FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, Jamshedpur FC, Kerala Blasters FC, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Mumbai City FC, NorthEast United FC, Punjab FC and Odisha FC are the 12 teams that are featuring in ISL 2023-24.

While goal scorers commonly receive recognition, the importance of a well-executed assist leading to the goal should never be overlooked. Those players capable of disrupting opposition play and delivering pinpoint passes are the catalysts in the Indian Super League. Providing assists is regarded as an art, mastered by only an elite few.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant attacking midfielder Hugo Boumous holds the record for the most assists in ISL history. The French footballer has registered 32 assists in 103 matches. 

Some of the other talented playmakers including the likes of Rafael Crivellaro, Sahal Abdul Samad, Adrian Luna, Cy Goddard and Carl McHugh have grabbed the attention with their crucial final passes which has culminated into goals in ISL 2023-24.

Chennaiyin FC attacking midfielder Rafael Crivellaro has provided five assists in 11 matches in the ongoing ISL.

On the other hand, Mohun Bagan’s Sahal Abdul Samad and Adrian Luna of Kerala Blasters FC have registered four assists each so far. Know players with most assists in ISL 2023-24.

Most assists in ISL 2023-24

Rank	Player	Club	Matches	Assists
1	Rafael Crivellaro	Chennaiyin FC	11	5
2	Sahal Abdul Samad	Mohun Bagan SG	6	4
3	Adrian Luna	Kerala Blasters FC	9	4
4	Liston Colaco	Mohun Bagan SG	8	3
5	Víctor Rodríguez	FC Goa	9	3
6	Greg Stewart	Mumbai City FC	9	3
7	Nandhakumar Sekar	East Bengal FC	10	3
8	Cy Goddard	Odisha FC	6	2
9	Manvir Singh	Mohun Bagan SG	8	2
10	Carl McHugh	FC Goa	9	2

Photo credit: Alamy

ATK Mohun Bagan forward Manvir Singh on Thursday said that fans should stop comparing him to Indian football team captain Sunil Chhetri.

Describing Sunil Chhetri as a legend, Manvir insisted that comparisons with Chhetri are premature and that he wants to first establish himself in the Indian national team.

"Replacing Chhetri is a huge thing, he is a legend. I don't want to compare myself with him. I have to showcase my own performances,�?said Manvir, who is currently in Qatar preparing for India’s FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers.

 

While discussing his limited opportunities at his former club FC Goa, the 25-year-old said that a strong pre-season boosted his confidence and allowed him to perform consistently throughout the 2020-21 season for ATK Mohun Bagan. 

"It was a wonderful journey. I didn't get regular game time at FC Goa but I used to have time here and there. It boosted my confidence. I realised the standards of the ISL and how to perform. Then I signed for ATK Mohun Bagan and I grabbed that opportunity to give my 100 per cent," the striker told footballmonk.com. 

During Indian Super League 2020-21, Manvir scored six goals and assisted three more, which was by far his best campaign in India’s top-flight. The Punjab-born footballer received plenty of gametime with the Mariners and helped ATK Mohun Bagan reach the ISL 7 final, only to lose to eventual champions Mumbai City FC.

"I didn't get much opportunity at FC Goa. If someone comes (off the bench) in the 80th minute, what can you expect from him in those 10 minutes? 

"Later, I spent the pre-season at Minerva Punjab in Chandigarh. The pre-season was very satisfactory. That momentum continued throughout the whole season. It levelled up my confidence and performance. It helped me a lot," Manvir said. 

The striker made his presence felt for the Kolkata giants in the ISL last season, scoring a superb goal for ATK Mohun Bagan against arch-rivals SC East Bengal in the first Kolkata derby of the season. 

"I felt very proud of myself to score in my first derby," Manvir said in the interview.

Manvir carried his ISL form onto the international stage after bagging an equaliser against Oman in a friendly in March. Since making his senior team debut for India, Manvir has found the back of the net four times for the Blue Tigers.

Featured photo: Manjunath KIRAN / AFP

Indian Super League side ATK Mohun Bagan renewed the contract of their coach Antonio Lopez Habas on Wednesday after the Spaniard led the side to a second-place finish in the 2020-21 season.

Apart from a second-place finish in the league phase, the Mariners also made it to the final of the tournament before losing out to eventual champions Mumbai City FC. And the management believes Habas is the right man to take the historic club forward.

"I am happy that the officials have kept faith in me and in our technical staff. It will inspire us all a lot before the AFC Cup. It will boost our morale," Habas said from Madrid to the Indian Super League website.  

"Our goal now is to bring success to the club at the international level. We are committed to upholding the trust of members, supporters and officials,�?he added.

Under Habas�?guidance, ATK Mohun Bagan remained one of the title contenders right through the season. They ended as the best defensive side in the league, conceding just 15 goals in 20 matches with Tiri, Sandesh Jhingan and Pritam Kotal striking up a formidable partnership.

#Mariners, we’ve got some great news for you!

We are delighted to announce that Coach Antonio Lopez Habas has signed a one-year contract extension with #ATKMohunBagan! ❤️#JoyMohunBagan #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/HpGKzcqlgz

�?ATK Mohun Bagan FC (@atkmohunbaganfc) March 31, 2021

Mariners�?star striker Roy Krishna ended ISL 2020-21 with 14 goals and 8 assists and rightly adjudged the 'Player of the Season'. ATK Mohun Bagan scored 28 goals in 20 matches in the ISL 2020-21 season. Though Michael Soosairaj's early injury took away lot of the sting from ATKMB's attack, the rise of Manvir Singh from the right flank was a delight for the fans.

Merging with ATK to become ATK Mohun Bagan last season, the rechristened ISL club didn’t see a drop in performance. Habas, who has previously won two ISL titles with ATK, managed a per game ratio of 1.91 in the recently concluded season, which is better than last season’s 1.90.

A second-place finish will see ATK Mohun Bagan compete in the qualifiers of the AFC Cup 2022 as well. Habas' most immediate task will be leading ATKMB in the AFC Cup group stages that start on May 14.

Feature Image Courtesy: Website/ ISL

Indian football team national coach Igor Stimac has named a list of 35 players who will be in contention for the upcoming international friendlies against Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) scheduled to be held in Dubai on March 25 and March 29, respectively.

.@stimac_igor names 3️⃣5️⃣-man list of probables for International Friendlies against Oman and UAE

Read the statement here http://t.co/rvkQFf5jEY#BackTheBlue #BlueTigers #IndianFootball �?pic.twitter.com/zWnUvVyWe4

�?Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 2, 2021

10 new faces that have earned their maiden call up to the national squad, including Akash Mishra, Liston Colaco, and Ishan Pandita, for their commendable display in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 season.

Other notable inclusions in the squad are Ashutosh Mehta, Bipin Singh, Lalengmawia,  Yasir Mohammed, Jeakson Singh, and Suresh Singh.

"We have kept 35 players in the list as a cushion in case any player picks up an injury during the ISL playoffs," said Stimac. 

The Indian head coach further said that Brandon Fernandes, Rahul Bheke, Sahal Abdul Samad, and Asish Rai do not feature in the list as they recover from injuries. 

The final list of 28 players will be announced after the ISL final on March 13. The Indian football team players will assemble in a preparatory camp in Dubai from March 15 onwards.

India last played against Oman as the Blue Tigers lost 1-0 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier on November 19, 2019. While they were scheduled to resume their World Cup qualification campaign with a match against Qatar in March, it was eventually postponed due to the global virus. The qualifiers are now scheduled to resume in June, with India facing Qatar on June 3, Bangladesh on June 11, and Afghanistan on June 15. 

Here's the 35-man Indian football team squad

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Subhashish Roy Chowdhury, Dheeraj Singh, Vishal Kaith.

Defenders: Seriton Fernandes, Ashutosh Mehta, Akash Mishra, Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Chinglensana Singh, Sarthak Golui, Adil Khan, Mandar Rao Dessai, Prabir Das, Mashoor Shereef.

Midfielders: Udanta Singh, Rowllin Borges, Lalengmawia, Jeakson Singh, Raynier Fernandes, Anirudh Thapa, Bipin Singh, Yasir Mohammad, Suresh Singh, Liston Colaco, Halicharan Narzary, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Ashique Kuruniyan, Rahul KP, Hitesh Sharma, Farukh Choudhary.

Forwards: Manvir Singh, Sunil Chhetri, Ishan Pandita.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter/IndianFootball

The Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21 season has witnessed some high-octane clashes in the previous five matchdays. Matchday 6 of ISL 7 also promises to captivate the Indian football fans and fantasy gamers alike with another round of action-packed fixtures. NorthEast United FC will take on Chennaiyin FC in the first match of matchday 6 at the Tilak Maidan in Goa on Sunday. 

In order to help the fantasy managers cherry-pick the most productive playing 11, here are five players who you should pick for your ISL fantasy for matchday 6:

Player: Igor Angulo, FC Goa

Match: ATK Mohun Bagan FC vs FC Goa 

Igor Angulo has already taken ISL 7 by storm after he scored his sixth goal in five matches on Saturday and is currently leading the ISL 2020-21 Golden Boot race. The 36-year-old has once again proved to be the game-changer for the Gaurs as his solitary goal against Odisha FC ensured another three crucial points in matchday 5. Angulo’s strike has also helped FC Goa jump into the top four spot in ISL 2020-21 points table. Interestingly, the former Athletic Bilbao footballer has scored five of FC Goa’s six goals this season and he is expected to play an important role in their next encounter against ATK Mohun Bagan.

Player: Manvir Singh, ATK Mohun Bagan FC

Match: ATK Mohun Bagan FC vs FC Goa 

ATK Mohun Bagan FC’s Manvir Singh scored his second goal of the season as the Mariners drew 1-1 against Hyderabad FC in matchday 5. The 25-year-old is currently the top Indian goal-scorer in the ongoing edition of the league. Manvir had also become the first Indian goal-scorer for ATK Mohun Bagan after he found the back of the net against arch-rivals SC East Bengal in matchday 2. The energetic footballer will look to carry his goal-scoring form against FC Goa in their next game.

Player: Adam le Fondre, Mumbai City FC

Match: Mumbai City FC vs Jamshedpur FC

Mumbai City FC’s Adam le Fondre has been one of the standout performers for the Islanders since joining from Sydney FC on loan. The 34-year-old has already scored four crucial goals which have helped Mumbai City top the ISL 2020-21 points table with 12 points from five matches. The former Reading striker currently sits third in the ISL top-scorer list for 2020-21 season with four goals from five outings, only behind Angulo and Jamshedpur FC’s Nerijus Valskis. Adam le Fondre is expected to add to his goal-scoring tally against Jamshedpur FC in matchday 6.

Player: Udanta Singh, Bengaluru FC

Match: Bengaluru FC vs Kerala Blasters FC

Udanta Singh scored his first goal for Bengaluru FC in over a year in their ISL clash against NorthEast United FC in matchday 5. The 24-year-old came off the bench to score an important goal from a Sunil Chhetri assist in the 72nd minute. The goal will give Udanta a lot of confidence going into a crucial encounter against Kerala Blasters FC on Sunday. The India international will look to add to his goal tally and help the Blues move into the top four spot of the ISL 2020-21 points table.  

Player: Luis Machado, NorthEast United FC

Match: NorthEast United FC vs Chennaiyin FC

Luis Machado’s twin strike helped NorthEast United FC salvage a thrilling 2-2 draw against Bengaluru FC in matchday 5. The 28-year-old Portuguese winger has been a massive revelation for the Highlanders this season. The early success of NorthEast United this season can be attributed to Machado’s good form in the first five games. The former Feirense footballer is expected to play an important role in their upcoming encounter against Chennaiyin FC on Sunday.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @MumbaiCityFC