Key rules of the draft

A minimum of 134 Indian players are expected to be picked as each of the sides has to pick a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 18 domestic players.  Two Indians must be under the age of 21. A maximum squad size of 25 is permitted per side. 

ISL franchises can also buy 7 foreign players from the open market. 

The nine existing sides were give the option to retain two player over the age of 21 and three under-21 uncapped players. India skipper Sunil Chhetri has been retained by Bengaluru, while ace striker Jeje Lalpekhlua will continue to play for Chennaiyin FC. 

A total of 22 players have been retained by ISL teams and they will not participate in the draft.

The teams who have retained two senior players will enter the draft the second round. Jamshedpur and Delhi Dynamos – who have not retained a single player – will enter the draft in round 1. Jamshedpur also have the right to bid first in the draft. 

Atletico de Kolkata

Senior Players Retained: Debjit Majumder, Prabir Das

U21 Retained: None

Entry in Draft Round : 3

Bengaluru FC

Senior Players Retained: Sunil Chhetri, Udanta Singh

U21 Retained: Nishu Kumar, Malsawmzuala

Entry in Draft Round: 3

Chennaiyin FC

Senior Players Retained: Jeje Lalpekhlua, Karanjit Singh

U21 Retained: Jerry Lalrinzuala (capped), Anirudh Thapa

Entry in Draft Round: 4

Delhi Dynamos FC

Senior Players Retained: None

U21 Retained: None

Entry in Draft Round: 1

FC Goa

Senior Players Retained: Laxmikant Kattimani, Mandar Rao Dessai

U21 Retained: None

Entry in Draft Round: 3

FC Pune City

Senior Players Retained: Vishal Kaith

U21 Retained: Ashique Kuruniyan

Entry in Draft Round: 2

Kerala Blasters FC

Senior Players Retained: CK Vineeth, Sandesh Jhingan

U21 Retained: Prashanth Karuthadathkuni

Entry in Draft Round: 3

Mumbai City FC

Senior Players Retained: Amrinder Singh, Sehnaj Singh

U21 Retained: Rakesh Oram

Entry in Draft Round: 3

North East United FC

Senior Players Retained: Rowllin Borges, TP Rehenesh

U21 Retained: None

Entry in Draft Round: 3

Jamshedpur FC

Senior Players Retained: None

U21 Retained: None

Entry in Draft Round: 1

Each team has a salary cap of Rs 18 crore, out of which a maximum of Rs 12.5 crore can be spent on foreign players. Remaining Rs 5.5 crore must be spent on Indian players. Wages of a marquee player will not fall under the salary cap. 

Top 5 most expensive players

Not all the top players have been retained and some of them are still up for grabs.

Eugeneson Lyngdoh – Rs 1.1 crore

The 30-year-old midfielder is one of the two highest valued players in the draft. The Meghalaya player has earlier played for FC Pune City in ISL. He’s is valued at Rs 1.1 crore.

Anas Edathodika – Rs 1.1 crore

The defender is the second highest valued players along with Eugeneson. The Indian international is also price at Rs 1.1 crore. Anas, who has earlier played for Delhi Dynamos is expected to be in great demand. 

Subrata Paul – Rs 87 lakh

The veteran goalkeeper is priced at Rs 87 lakh and has played for some of the biggest clubs in the country. In ISL, Paul has appeared for Mumbai City and NorthEast United.

Pritam Kotal – Rs 75 lakh

The Bengal defender is considered to be one of the best fullbacks in the country. The 23-year-old footballer has already featured for 17 times for India at the international stage. He has played for Pune and Kolkata in ISL. 

Robin Singh – Rs 65 lakh

At 65 lakh, Robin Singh is the most expensive forward in the draft. The Noida based footballer has played for Delhi and FC Goa in ISL. 

Feature image: ISL