The Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 campaign has kept the Indian football fans hooked like never before thanks to the drama it has produced.

More goals, greater local talent on display and a higher intensity of play has been a hallmark of this season which has ensured that dull moments have been few and far between.

As the season crossed the halfway mark earlier this week, the first half of Hero ISL 2021-22 has seen many firsts right from a record goal output to increase in Indian goalscorers and to having the smallest margin splitting the teams chasing the semi-final spots. 

Here's a statistical lowdown of the season so far

Goals galore

There have been more goals per match in the first 55 matches of Hero ISL 2021-22 than in any other previous season. 181 goals have been scored at an average of 3.29 per match. In comparison to the 2020-21 season which saw 132 goals scored at this stage, this season has been staggering.

This season of the Hero ISL has also seen the lowest minutes per goal ratio in the competition’s history (27.35 minutes per goal).

Metrics	2021-22	2020-21	2019-20	2018-19	2017-18	2016	2015	2014
Matches	55	55	55	55	55	55	55	55
Goals	181	132	152	144	149	133	166	119
Goals Per Match	3.29	2.40	2.76	2.62	2.71	2.42	3.02	2.16
Minutes per Goal	27.35	37.50	32.57	34.38	33.22	37.22	29.82	41.60

Indian attackers impress

A record number of goals have been scored by Indians after the first 55 matches this season. The Indians have scored 51 goals which is 28.18% of the total goals scored by players. This season ranks third out of eight when looking at % of Indian goal scorers.

This season, the average age of Indian goal scorers after 55 matches is 24.44. Only in two other seasons has the average age of Indian goal scorers been lower (2020-21 & 2018-19).

Season	Goals by Foreign Players	Goals by Indian Players	Indian Player %	Average Age (Indian Scorers)
2014	96	22	18.49%	25.06
2015	121	43	25.90%	26.21
2016	100	31	23.30%	25.75
2017-18	99	48	32.21%	26.12
2018-19	91	49	34.02%	24.1
2019-20	107	42	27.63%	25
2020-21	100	27	20.45%	23.56
2021-22	122	51	28.18%	24.44

53 assists have been provided by Indian players this season. This is the most assists provided by Indians in the first 55 matches of a Hero ISL season.

In terms of percentage of assists provided by Indians, this is the second best season in the Hero ISL. The best season for Indian creators was the previous season where Indian players contributed 55.29% of the assists. 

Season	Assists by Foreign Players	Assists by Indian Players	Indian Player %	Average Age (Indian Assisters)
2014	39	30	43.48%	24.95
2015	88	39	30.70%	26.68
2016	78	27	25.71%	24.74
2017-18	56	44	44.00%	24.67
2018-19	61	39	39.00%	25.53
2019-20	61	45	42.45%	24
2020-21	36	47	56.62%	25.47
2021-22	64	53	45.30%	25.15

Youngsters shining

The number of U-23 players featuring in the opening stages of the league have been increasing since the inaugural season. The first season saw 28 U-23 players play in the first 55 matches. It has increased over seasons and last season, a record 110 U-23 players featured in the league in the same amount of matches. This season, the record has been matched and 110 U-23 players have featured in the first 55 matches.

The U-23 players have also scored 18 goals in the first 55 matches this season. This is joint-most managed by the players in this age group after the completion of 55 matches.  

Season	Players	Goals	Assists	Shots	Shots on Target
2014	28	9	11	157	86
2015	29	9	7	117	60
2016	34	5	8	62	25
2017-18	72	9	21	131	45
2018-19	50	18	9	219	68
2019-20	91	12	20	243	74
2020-21	110	14	17	235	60
2021-22	110	18	19	239	62

More competitive

In terms of the points difference between the first and last placed team, this season is the most competitive Hero ISL season since Hero ISL 2016.

There is just a 11 point gap between top and bottom team which is 8 less than previous season.

The 2018-19 season saw a gap of 20 points between top and bottom team after 55 matches. This was the highest gap between the top and the bottom side after the completion of 55 matches. Bengaluru FC, in first place, picked 24 points while Delhi Dynamos found themselves at the bottom of the table with only 4 points.

Season	First Place	Last Place	Points Difference
2014	Chennaiyin (23)	NorthEast United (14)	9
2015	ATK (23)	Kerala Blasters (13)	10
2016	Mumbai City (23)	FC Goa (14)	9
2017-18	FC Pune City (22)	Delhi Dynamos (7)	15
2018-19	Bengaluru FC (24)	Delhi Dynamos (4)	20
2019-20	FC Goa (24)	Hyderabad FC (5)	19
2020-21	Mumbai City (25)	Odisha FC (6)	19
2021-22	Kerala Blasters (17)	SC East Bengal (6)	11

There is still plenty of football left to be played in Hero ISL 2021-22 season and as it closes in on the crunch part of the season, the actions will only intensify. So fasten your seatbelts and be prepared to be entertained. 

Note: The data used in the article is valid after Match 56 which was the 55th match of the season and marked the halfway point in the league phase.