Twenty-three matches gone, the Indian Super League has delivered its share of thrills and spills. ESPN's Anuj Vignesh, Arjun Namboothiri, Debayan Sen and Saket Parekar take stock of the season so far.
Best goal
A volley is never easy to execute, never mind one where the ball is played behind you. In a tight contest against NorthEast United, Chennaiyin's Davide Succi had only a split second to improvise, adjust his body shape and meet a Siam Hanghal cross from the right. Succi, despite being surrounded by NorthEast defenders inside the box, used his left leg to lift off the ground and his right to pull the trigger. His technique was all Van Basten. The execution was all Zidane. -- AV
One touch, one look at goal and, the next thing you know, the ball is placed neatly above a sprawling Edel Bete. Chennaiyin's Jeje Lalpekhlua was without a goal this ISL season leading into their match against Pune City, and to have the confidence to pull off a first goal of such quality showed why he has probably been the best Indian forward in the last year or so. -- AN
Kervens Belfort's winner for Kerala Blasters against Goa is my favourite goal thus far. To do it in a situation where the team was at 1-1 in a tough away game and had just lost Michael Chopra to injury was remarkable, as was the audacity to take on the entire Goa defence by himself. -- DS
At first glance, there was nothing spectacular about Krisztian Vadocz's opening goal for Mumbai City against Delhi Dynamos. But it followed a wonderful buildup and one of the balls of the season -- an eye-of-the-needle pass from Leo Costa that cut the defence open. Vadocz timed his run to perfection and calmly slotted the ball past the keeper into the bottom right corner. -- SP
Best foreign player
Hands down, Sameehg Doutie is the best foreign player of the ISL this season. He has been influential from the first match itself, scoring the first goal for Atletico de Kolkata against Chennaiyin and then earning his team the penalty from which Iain Hume scored. His influence goes beyond just the stats -- with him on the flanks, the opposition team can never settle down. -- DS
Best Indian player
Mumbai City's left-back Lalhmangaihsanga Ralte has had somewhat of a breakthrough season. Solid at the back, he has been a part of three clean sheets for Mumbai, but it's his trickery and movement up front that make him stand out. He has 24 recovered balls -- the most in the league -- and has won the emerging player award twice. -- AN
Best passage of play
The second half of the six-goal thriller between Delhi Dynamos and Mumbai City on October 18 was one of the most entertaining periods of football this year. When Sony Norde scored in the 69th minute to put Mumbai 3-1 up, there seemed to be no way back for Delhi. But substitute Badara Badji turned the game around, combining with Richard Gadze to complete a famous comeback. -- SP
Biggest howler
There have been a few, but I'd pick FC Goa conceding their first goal against NorthEast United. It was a harmless back pass from Lucio, but perhaps with a little less power than ideal. Emiliano Alfaro chased the ball down and goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani was left with no space to work the ball to. To make matters worse, he took a touch before looking to clear, just giving the ball away and sending NorthEast into a 1-0 lead. -- DS
Tactical masterstroke
Chennaiyin have had to contend without the services of Stiven Mendoza and Elano Blumer this season, but head coach Marco Materazzi has minimised the effect of their absence by adjusting his tactics every match. Against Goa at home, he opted for the 4-1-2-1-2 diamond, giving Chennaiyin the man advantage at the centre to dictate the game. Against Pune, he operated with a 4-3-3, opting to frustrate their opponents with three grafters in the midfield. Materazzi has also shuffled his strike force, giving the likes of Jeje Lalpekhlua and Dudu Omagbemi enough rest going into the business end of the league phase. -- AV
Biggest surprise
We're only halfway through the league, but NorthEast already look like they're on their way to their first ever playoffs. Their defence has improved significantly and going by current form, trips to Guwahati will get even tougher for rival teams. -- SP