It was the 3rd of October when the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) kicked off its second edition and within a few weeks, fans and lovers of the sport were reacquainted with its archetypal tone of power-packed performances and sheer entertainment. 15 matches have been contested amongst the eight teams of the league in the past few weeks, and they have been nothing short of fascinating - for Indian and international players alike.A run through the books shows that at this very moment last year, more goals (41) were scored in the Hero ISL than this year (37). Now this could be a direct impact of the clubs’ emphasis on quality build-up play this season, as more passes have been completed this year (9288) than the previous one (7623). A better shot accuracy (58%, vis-à-vis 2014’s 54%) further strengthens the case.It was Atlético de Kolkata yet again who got the League off the mark, but this time, it was their marquee signing Helder Postiga. The former Portugal international, who plays his first Hero ISL season this year, put the first goal on the scoreboard, in just the 14th minute for the defending champions, going one up on Fikru’s 28th minute strike last year.Chennaiyin FC, who qualified for the semi-finals in 2014, have stayed true to their attacking form of football, but have so far netted in fewer goals compared to their tally last year. They have managed to score eight goals in four matches, two less than their previous year’s graph with the same number of games. But their ace forward Stiven Mendoza, with his five goals – including a hat-trick, tops the scorers’ table and keeps the games thrilling enough.We had to wait for 300 minutes of game time last year to witness Chennaiyin FC’s Balwant Singh become the first Indian goal-scorer of the season (and of Hero ISL, as well). This season, it took his fellow teammate Jeje Lalpekhlua just 31 minutes to achieve that feat.In the first 15 matches of Hero ISL 2015, eight Indian players have managed to score 10 goals. This comes as a drastic improvement on their performance in the 2014 edition where only 6 Indians were credited with 7 goals in the same time-frame. Moreover, the improvement is of a holistic nature as Indian footballers from every Hero ISL club have scored at least one goal this year.This is just the beginning, there’s more to come. The action has just begun!
