It was a crucial week in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) as the race for the playoffs intensified. Hero ISL expert Erik Paartalu had the task to pick the Team of Matchweek 17 and he had to make some tough choices.

Paartalu picked a 3-3-1-3 formation with one foreign player each in defence and midfield, and two in the attack.

Five ATK Mohun Bagan players made it to Paartalu’s team after their crucial 2-0 win over Odisha FC on Saturday, with two each from Kerala Blasters FC, FC Goa, and Bengaluru FC who all recorded wins.

Here is Paartalu’s Team of Matchweek 17

Goalkeeper

Karanjit Singh (Kerala Blasters FC)

Karanjit Singh because he stepped up having not played for a lot of time. He had a big performance for Kerala Blasters FC to get a result. He had a good game. It wasn't really a loud performance but a good performance. He kept a clean sheet and deserved to be in the Team of the Week over all the goalkeepers, with Vishal Kaith coming a close second.

Defenders

Asish Rai (ATK Mohun Bagan)

He had a good solid performance at the back and that pass to Dimitri Petratos was what we used to expect of him at Hyderabad FC. It was different gravy.

Brendan Hamill (ATK Mohun Bagan)

Hamill has been knocking on the door to try to get into the Team of the Week for a while. I thought his performance alongside Pritam Kotal was one of the best of the weeks. They kept a clean sheet and they needed to have a solid performance at the back, and Hamill was certainly good.

Subhasish Bose (ATK Mohun Bagan)

Bose would probably be the No. 1 left-back every week. It was no different this week. It was a solid performance, he didn't put a foot wrong, and was physical where he needed to be. He got up and down the pitch well.

Midfielders

Rohit Kumar (Bengaluru FC)

Three goals in three games is an excellent return for him. His performances too have been great. He had to wait and bide his team to wait to get into the team and that's exactly what he has done. You can see he is a good player.

Glan Martins (ATK Mohun Bagan)

Martins was the best defensive midfielder in the week. On his second debut for ATK Mohun Bagan, he cleaned up well. He is certainly the player they need to do that dirty work alongside Carl McHugh. He had an exceptional match.

Brandon Fernandes (FC Goa)

Fernandes' free-kick was special. FC Goa need him to play like this every week. He may not score or assist every week but in the last couple of weeks, he has been outstanding. Hopefully, he is the guy that drives FC Goa forward.

Iker Guarrotxena (FC Goa)

Iker Guarrotxena is self-explanatory. He scored amazing goals and is now the target man for the Gaurs, and looks better and better every week.

Forwards

Dimitri Petratos (ATK Mohun Bagan)

He scored those two important goals. He gets himself inside the six-yard box and evolves every single time he plays and that's special about him in terms of what the game or the club needs. He doesn't make many mistakes.

Dimitrios Diamantakos (Kerala Blasters FC)

I think he is a striker that the Kerala Blasters FC have been crying out for for a number of years. He is even better than the Alvaro Vazquez-Jorge Pereyra Diaz combination on his own this year. That's how good he has been. He is levels above a lot of strikers in the league. Kerala Blasters FC would need to keep hold of him because he would want to go to the next level.

Sivasakthi Narayanan (Bengaluru FC)

It's easy to pick that one after a performance like that. He is a quiet achiever, and puts his head down. I love his attitude. He is the best finisher I've seen for a young Indian talent.

Head coach

Simon Grayson (Bengaluru FC)