Nandhakumar Sekar, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Mohammad Yasir... and the list goes on. Carrying on from the previous Hero Indian Super League (ISL) season, Indian players have continued to impress in the ongoing Hero ISL campaign.

We’re into the halfway stage of the season, with all Hero ISL teams having played 10 games. The top six - comprising leaders Mumbai City FC, followed by Hyderabad FC, ATK Mohun Bagan, Kerala Blasters FC, Odisha FC, and FC Goa - have seen Indian players play a vital role in their teams' respective successes.

162 goals have been scored in 55 matches, with this season being the third-highest goal scoring season in Hero ISL history. During the Hero ISL 2021-22 season, 181 goals were scored in the first 55 matches. But although there may have been a dip in these numbers, the Indian players have been more reliable than ever before for their teams in terms of goals.

Firing the goals

Compared to the previous Hero ISL seasons, Indian players have scored more goals after 55 games than in any of the previous seasons. They have netted 58 goals, accounting for nearly 36% of the goals this season, the highest percentage share in any Hero ISL season.

It has been only twice that the goal scoring percentage by Indian players has crossed the 30% mark, which came during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 campaign.

Odisha FC’s Nandhakumar Sekar and Mumbai City FC’s duo of Bipin Singh and Lallianzuala Chhangte are currently the joint-leading goalscorers with four strikes each. 

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

2022-23

100

58

35.80%

25.64

In terms of unique goalscorers, this is the second-best season ever for the Indian players.

During the Hero ISL 2021-22 season, 36 different Indian players scored a goal or more, but compared to the previous campaign, the domestic players are not far away, with 35 different Indian players finding the back of the net.

Season

Foreigners

Indians

2014

38

16

2015

47

19

2016

41

20

2017-18

39

23

2018-19

45

27

2019-20

40

28

2020-21

38

18

2021-22

47

36

2022-23

44

35

More attempts

While plenty of foreign players have spearheaded the goalscoring responsibility for their respective teams, Indian players are attempting more shots on goals and making sure that they contribute, in whatever way possible.

The Indian players have also registered more shots than any of the previous Hero ISL seasons. They have recorded 701 shots this season and this is the first time where they have crossed the 700-shot mark at the halfway stage of the season.

In terms of the overall percentage, Indian players account for 49.33% of the total shots in Hero ISL 22-23. This as well, is a new record for Indian players at this stage of the season. They have bettered last season’s best-ever tally of 605 shots, where the domestic players were involved in 44.42% of the overall shots.

Last season's top Indian goalscorer, Liston Colaco, has taken the most shots (28) after 10 games among Indian players. Mumbai City FC forwards Bipin and Chhangte are not far behind, registering 27 and 24 shots respectively.

Season

Shots (First 55 Matches)

Shots by Foreign Players

Shots by Indian Players

Indian Player %

2014

915

444

32.67%

2015

923

439

32.23%

2016

788

263

25.02%

2017-18

668

420

38.60%

2018-19

791

558

41.36%

2019-20

753

551

42.25%

2020-21

786

534

40.45%

2021-22

757

605

44.42%

2022-23

720

701

49.33%

Racking up the assists

In terms of setting up goals, Indian players have continued to play an important part for their teams. 52 assists have been provided by Indian players this season and this is only the second time Indians have managed more than 50 assists in the first 55 matches of a Hero ISL season. This season’s tally of 52 assists is just one shy of the best-ever tally of 53 assists which was recorded by Indian players last season.

Overall, in terms of percentage of assists provided by Indians players, this is the second-best season in the Hero ISL (48.14%). The best season for Indian creators was the 2020-21 season where Indian players tallied 47 assists, more than their foreign counterparts in any Hero ISL season as they contributed 56.62% of the total 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

2022-23

56

52

48.14%

25.56