Sublime goals, breath-taking saves, last-ditch tackles, and exquisite skills. The third season of the ISL has had its fair share of memorable moments, but who are the players who have lit up the competition? ESPN lists the five best Indians and foreigners who have made a mark for themselves so far.
Indian players:
Sena Ralte
Mumbai's left-back Sena Ralte has four clean sheets, the second highest number of recovered balls (32), and three emerging Player-of-the-Match awards - the highest in the league. His intelligent movement up front has provided Mumbai with a viable attacking option from the left wing, and Ralte's performances have made it difficult for the head coach Alexandre Guimaraes to drop him, as his team sits currently at the top of the table.
Subrata Pal
NorthEast have conceded just six goals in the league this season - the joint lowest of the ISL so far. Subrata Paul, the veteran shot-stopper, has helped the team keep three clean sheets and has the second highest number of saves for any goalkeeper in the league. This season, NorthEast's attack has been well complimented by the back-line, and that has been hugely down to the excellence of Subrata, who in addition to making important saves, has also marshalled the defence well.
Sandesh Jhingan
Kerala may not be the most pleasing team on the eye, but most of their opponents have found it difficult to break them down. Sandesh Jhingan, among others, has been crucial to Kerala's resilience at the back. He has played in the center - his best position - and has also adjusted well when used on either side as a fullback. Due to his excellent reading of the game, Jhingan has helped Kerala have one of the tightest defences in the league.
Kean Lewis
While the best Indian players this season have mostly been defenders, Kean Lewis has been a vital cog in Delhi Dynamos' frontline, where his partnership with the tournament's top-scorer Marcelo Pereira has yielded 12 goals - the highest by any team. With two goals and an assist to his name so far, the energetic Lewis' trickery has kept the defenders from the opposition guessing..
Jeje Lalpekhlua
Jeje has had a slow start to the season, but has been in the midst of the action for Chennaiyin whenever they attack. With two goals, two assists and two Man-of-the-Match awards, he has quietly helped keep Chennaiyin on course for a spot in the playoffs. Jeje has already scored one of the goals of the season - an outrageous lob against Pune City - and while he has not hit red-hot form yet, his pace and strength makes him a nuisance for defenders to deal with.
International players:
Marcelo Pereira
Eight matches in, Marcelo Pereira has scored the most goals in the league (5), made the most assists (4), and has had more shots on target than anyone else (14). Quick with his feet and more than handy in the air, Marcelo has been pivotal to nearly everything Delhi Dynamos have created going forward, starring in victories against Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters, as well as a come-from-behind 3-3 draw against Mumbai City. A costly penalty miss against Atletico de Kolkata is the only blemish on an otherwise spotless CV this season.
Emiliano Alfaro
North East have scored just six goals all season, and five of them have come from Emiliano Alfaro. Three of those goals were match-winning ones, and another, against Delhi, earned North East a crucial point. That is seven points out of the 10 that NorthEast have this season coming directly as a result of Alfaro's clinical finishing. No surprise that he has also won the most number of Man-of-the-Match awards (3) so far.
Lucian Goian
Mumbai City have blown hot and cold up front, but they have mostly remained intact in defence, largely thanks to the leadership and composure of Lucian Goian. His presence at the back has meant that Mumbai have kept the most clean sheets (4) so far, helping the team shut shop in narrow victories against NorthEast, Pune City, and Kolkata. He is also more than competent in recycling possession and starting attacks from the back; his 37 recovered balls are the most by any player this season, and his 35 tackles are the second most.
Javi Lara
One of the best passers in the league, Javi Lara has showed off his entire repertoire this season - short flicks, incisive one-twos, cross-field diagonals, late runs into the box, and crucial goals. Both of Lara's goals this season came in away games - a winner against Kerala, and a late equalizer against Mumbai. Kolkata had Lara to thank for their five-match unbeaten start to the tournament, and they'll almost certainly have him to thank again should they go all the way this year.
Cedric Hengbart
Goals have been hard to come by for Kerala this season - they have found the net just four times - but defensively, they remain one of the more resolute sides in the tournament. At the heart of the back four, Cedric Hengbart has been a commanding figure, holding the line and cleaning up dangerous crosses. With 28 recovered balls, he is third behind only Goian and Ralte on the list. Hengbart took up the leadership mantle in the brief absence of Aaron Hughes, and even chipped in with a vital goal against Pune away from home.