Follow pitch-side reporter Leeza Mangaldas as she takes you behind the scenes this Hero ISL season. New posts every week exclusively on indiansuperleague.com.

Match Week 12: The Rising Stars of Indian Football

Being a sports presenter is no doubt an exciting job. You get to watch the biggest fixtures live, meet international legends of the game, and revel in the wonderful exuberance of the fans.

But perhaps the MOST exciting part of reporting pitch-side for the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) over the last three years is that I’ve gotten to witness first-hand the incredible growth and evolution of India’s young footballers.

And this season, with teams required to have at least six Indians in their playing 11, and every team having signed at least two U-21 players, even more young Indian talent has had the opportunity to shine.

Paul Masefield, Anant Tyagi and Russel Osman

Now as we approach the business end – with teams playing with more and more inspiration and desire, giving it all they’ve got to try to book themselves a Top 4 spot – we’ve even seen some of the Indian youngsters turn unlikely heroes, stepping up to win their teams vital points in recent weeks.

So, this week, I thought I’d turn the spotlight on the young Indian players who’ve been outstanding this season. I even asked some of our experts and commentators – Anant Tyagi, Paul Masefield, and former England International Russel Osman to weigh in on my list as well.

Jerry Lalrinzuala

The young star we’ve all been most impressed by is Chennaiyin FC’s 19-year-old left back from Mizoram, Jerry Lalrinzuala – he was a bright spark last year too, winning the award for Emerging Player of the league, and the fact that the Chennai team as a whole has been doing so well this season has only amplified the impact he’s been able to have.

He seems to share a strong understanding at the back with fellow defenders Sereno, Calderon and Alves, and he’s even won the Hero of the Match award once earlier this season in their away fixture against FC Pune City. It’s an award that’s rarely won by defenders given that goal scorers are the ones who are typically credited with victories. As Paul Masefield described, “He’s never intimidated by anyone, and he’s taken his performance to the next level this year.”

Interviewing Anirudh Thapa post match

Jerry’s teammate, 20-year-old midfielder Anirudh Thapa from Dehradun has also impressed for Chennai, with his unique combination of both great maturity and great energy. He seizes opportunities, with skillful passing and great ball control. He too has already bagged multiple awards for his performances.

Vishal Kaith

FC Pune City’s 21-year-old shot stopper Vishal Kaith has been their first choice in goal this season under Ranko Popovic after spending his whole first year on the bench. He’s already kept four clean sheets so far – only Subrata Paul has kept more. It’s heartening to see a young Indian goalkeeper doing so well.

His teammate, 20-year-old forward Ashique Kuruniyan has also impressed.

Brandon Fernandes has won several Emerging Player awards

FC Goa’s 23-year-old attacking midfielder Brandon Fernandes has been a regular in Sergio Lobera’s plans. With four assists so far, he’s currently Goa’s assist leader along with Manuel Lanzarote. He seems to share an excellent playing rapport with his teammates Mandar (Rao Dessai) and Lanza, and has been a real asset to the squad this season, bagging the Emerging Player award on multiple occasions.

Lallianzuala Chhangte (R)

Delhi Dynamos’ two 20-year-olds: pacy forward Lallianzuala Chhangte and central midfielder Vinit Rai have also stood out this season, even though they’ve been part of a team that has unfortunately really struggled to win games. Nonetheless, they’ve proven themselves to be highly skillful players, with several moments of individual brilliance.

Vinit Rai (foreground)

Chhangte’s potential was recognized early on in his youth career – and after impressing youth coaches at DSK’s LFC Academy, he and his then DSK teammate, 20-year-old Jerry Mawihmingthanga (now at Jamshedpur FC) trained at Liverpool’s youth academy at Kirkby in 2016.

Mawihmingthanga

Mawihmingthanga, like Chhangte, is from Mizoram, and he’s another youngster who has impressed this season. Russel described him as “a gutsy, brave player with massive potential.” He scored the fastest goal in the history of the Hero ISL this season, just 22 seconds into Jamshedpur’s home game against Kerala Blasters.

Hitesh Sharma (R)

ATK’s 20-year-old midfielder Hitesh Sharma also got an honourable mention from Anant and Russel. As Anant said, “He’s been in good positions; his work ethic is not in doubt, but his finishing needs some finishing touches.”

Deependra Negi (R)

Also, among the honourable mentions are Kerala Blasters’ 19-year-old super sub Deependra Negi, who became the youngest player to score this season, and Delhi Dynamos’ 22-year-old winger, Nandha Kumar.

Indeed, with every year so far, the young Indian players in the Hero ISL have become more and more skillful, capable and confident, winning matches for their teams, and becoming regulars in the starting line-ups. In our daily post-match presentation ceremonies, the Emerging Player Award is my personal favourite for the fact that it provides well-earned recognition to these rising stars of Indian football.

I’d love to hear who you think will be named the Emerging Player of the league this season. Share your thoughts in the comments section below or on social media by reaching out to me at @leezamangaldas on Instagram or Twitter.