With viewership up in record numbers, intercity rivalries heating up, and a more competitive domestic season than ever before, it looks like the Indian Super League might be catching fire among many new football fans in India.
With the new ISL season nearly upon us, the big question is who are the main title contenders and the top talents going forward into the new season.
We’ve already taken a look at some of the best Indian footballers playing overseas but the ISL plays host to a prodigious array of talent that will turn out for India’s top tier domestic league.
The current rules regarding foreign players for the 2021-22 state that each ISL side is allowed a total of five players plus a further player drafted from any of the nations belonging to the Asian federation. Each side has opted to take all six.
Igor Angulo, Mumbai City
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Joint top goalscorers Spaniard Igor Angulo and Fijian Roy Krishna will be turning out for rival sides this season and will be expected to be in full form. Both strikers are in the twilight of their careers at 34 and 37 years old respectively but don’t expect them to be calling it quits anytime soon.
Angulo has recently made a transfer to Mumbai City following his successful spell with FC Goa and strikers will be looking to get their hands on some silverware this year. Angulo in particular has a wealth of experience behind him, having had spells in his native Spain followed by time in Greece and Poland.
Current champions Mumbai Indians as well as Kolkata rivals ATK Mohun Bagan are being backed by a range of top betting sites in India which are looking to meet the demand for ISL football in tandem with growing media coverage.
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Greg Stewart, Jamshedpur FC
One of the standout transfers for the upcoming ISL season is attacking midfielder and forward Greg Stewart’s arrival at Jamshedpur FC from Glasgow Rangers. Stewart has gone full cycle since his academy days at Rangers having spells across the Scottish top flight and with Birmingham City.
Fresh from a title winning season under Steven Gerrard, Stewart is expected to challenge in the top goalscorer table.
Prince Ibara, Bengaluru
Another hotly anticipated talent who is expected to be finding the net this season is recent Bengaluru arrival and Congolese international Prince Ibara. The 25 year old forward who calls Brazzaville home is known for his power in the box and has spells across Africa and the Middle East behind him, having won a championship in the Algerian league back in 2019.
Hugo Boumous, ATK Mohun Bagan
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26 year old Boumous won the double with rivals Mumbai City last season, hoping he can help his new side go one better. The Frenchman arrives in Kolkata as the most expensive player for the second year in a row according to football transfer aggregator site Transfermarkt.
The Rennes native is well versed in Indian football and has called the ISL home since he secured a move to FC Goa back in 2018. In fact Boumous is one of the stand out stars of the ISL and has won back to back league titles with Goa and Mumbai as well as the Golden Ball for best player in a single season.
Wherever Boumous hangs his hat goals usually follow and his new Kolkata employers have broken the bank precisely to get their hands on that trophy this time round.
