CHENNAI: The domestic players’ draft for the inaugural season of the Indian Super League (ISL) will take place next week, organisers IMG-Reliance revealed on Saturday.
The event, which will see 84 Indian players being drafted to six franchises, will take place in Mumbai from July 21 to 23. Guwahati-based North East United and the as-yet-unnamed Goa franchise will not participate in the draft as they have decided to use players from I-League clubs Shillong Lajong and Dempo, respectively.
The draft will provide each team with 14 Indian players, while the eight foreign stars will be selected at a similar draft to be held next month. The teams have the option of selecting a further five youth players from their respective state associations. “We decided to have the domestic player draft early as this will allow the teams to start their pre-season camp by mid-August. These players will make up the core of most teams,” a source in the ISL told TNIE.
This will mark the first time that the draft system, commonly used in American leagues like NBA and Major League Baseball, is used in India. Other leagues like the Indian Premier League and the Indian Badminton League have all used the auction process.
The big names among the domestic players include goalkeeper Subrata Paul, fresh off a stint in Denmark, Gouramangi Singh, Syed Rahim Nabi and Jeje Lalpekhlua. Though all I-League clubs had initially refused to release players for ISL, the domestic pool includes players on loan from East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Mumbai FC and Rangdajied United.
“The central player pool boasts of a combined 750-plus national team caps, proving the imperative experience at international level. In addition, 75 players have played a major role in their respective I-League teams in the past three years, with 29 of them leading their clubs to top-3 finishes,” said a press communique sent by ISL officials.