India international midfielder Eugeneson Lyngdoh and defender Anas Edathodika would be among the most sought after ones when more than 200 footballers go under the hammer during the Indian Super League Players Draft here tomorrow.
Ten franchise sides, including the two new entrants of Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC, will seek to buy the best Indians on offer for the ISL season four which will be starting in November as a five-month long league.
Top players like Sunil Chhetri, Udanta Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua, C K Vineeth and Sandesh Jhingan will not be up for grabs as they have been retained by their respective clubs. Chhetri and Udanta have been retained by Bengaluru while 2015 edition winners Chennaiyin FC decided to keep Jeje with them this season also.
India's defensive bulwark Jhingan and his national team- mate forward Vineeth will continue to play for 2016 runners-up side Kerala Blasters.
The clubs were allowed to retain a maximum of two senior players from their 2016 squad, in addition to upto three U-21 players to fill up the development player quota. Eight teams have already signed up 22 domestic players, while Delhi Dynamos have opted to begin on a fresh note.
Both Lyngdoh and Anas, who were released by FC Pune City and Delhi Daynamos respectively, have been kept at the base price of Rs 1.10 crores each, according to sources.
Other players in the top price bracket include goalkeeper Subrata Paul (Rs 87 lakhs), Pritam Kotal (Rs 75 lakhs), Robin Singh (Rs 65 lakhs) and Arindam Bhattacharya (Rs 64 lakhs).
Goalkeepers like Paul, who was recently let off with a warning after a doping infringement, and Arindam could be in demand as the new ISL regulations have reduced the number of foreign players a team can have in the playing eleven from six to five.
Most of the teams would want to have foreigners as out- field players instead of losing out one slot to a goalie.
The salary cap for each team (both Indian and foreign players) has been set at Rs 18 crores and only a maximum of Rs 12.5 crores can be utilised to sign overseas players. So, each team gets a minimum of Rs 5.5 crore to buy Indian players.
ISL 2017-18 Player Draft will witness a total 15 rounds. The sequence for selection of Player Draft rounds for each club will be determined by a draw of lots.
As the new team in ISL, Jamshedpur will get the first pick in both the first and second rounds, while Dynamos will be the second to exercise their right in the opening round.
The Instant Trading Card, first introduced in ISL 2015 Player Draft, allows teams a second chance to trade an already picked player. From the third round onwards, any club may, within 15 seconds of another club announcing its Draft pick, press the buzzer to activate the "Instant Trade" process.
Representatives of the clubs will then head to Instant Trading Table to propose, negotiate and close the deal within a stipulated time.
ISL regulations allow clubs to have a minimum of 15 and maximum of 18 Indian players in the squad, including two mandatory Under-21 development players. The maximum squad size will be of 25 players and must contain a minimum of seven foreign players and 15 Indian players. This must also include at least two U-21 players (players born after January 1997).
Atletico de Kolkata:
Retained: Debjit Majumdar, Prabir Das (both senior)
No of players to be picked: Min 13; Entry: 3rd Round
Bengaluru FC:
Retained: Sunil Chhetri, Udanta Singh (both senior); Nishu Kumar, Malsawmzuala (both U-21).
No. Of players to be picked: Min 13; Entry: 3rd Round
Chennaiyin FC
Retained: Jeje Lalpekhlua, Karanjit Singh (both senior); Jerry Lalrinzuala, Anirudh Thapa (both U-21)
No. Of players to be picked: Min 12; Entry: 4th Round
Delhi Dynamos FC:
Retained: None
No. Of players to be picked: Min 15; Entry: 1st Round
FC Goa:
Retained: Laxmikant Kattimani, Mandar Rao (both senior)
No of players to be picked: Min 13; Entry: 3rd Round
FC Pune City:
Retained: Vishal Kaith (senior); Ashique Kuruniyan (U-21)
No. Of players to be picked: Min 14; Entry: 2nd Round
Kerala Blasters FC:
Retained: C K Vineeth, Sandesh Jhingan (both senior); Prashanth Karuthadathkuni (U-21)
No. Of players to be picked: Min 13; Entry: 3rd Round
Mumbai City FC:
Retained: Amrinder Singh, Sehnaj Singh (both senior); Rakesh Oram (U-21)
No. Of players to be picked: Min 13; Entry: 3rd Round
North East United FC:
Retained: Rowllin Borges, T P Rehenesh (both senior)
No. Of players to be picked: Min 13; Entry: 3rd Round
Jamshedpur FC:
Retained: None
No. Of players to be picked: Min 15: Entry: 1st Round.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
