Goalkeepers are not only the last line of defence but also the first line of attack. Of the 13 Indian goalkeepers picked by the eight clubs during the domestic player draft of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL), the ‘wonder wall ‘ Subrata Pal has many firsts to his credit and stands head over shoulders over the lot.

The 27-year-old shot stopper, the first Indian goalkeeper to ply his trade abroad (he was signed by Danish Superliga side FC Vestsjaelland aka Vikings), is all set to lead the charge of Indian goalkeepers in the ISL.

With teams like FC Pune City already signing foreign goalkeepers, it is not sure whether Indian glovemen will start or even get a taste of the ISL action. But the ‘Indian Spiderman’ seems to be on a good wicket considering that he was the first player to be picked by Team Mumbai during the draft. Pal, who has 57 international caps and has powered the ‘Blue Tigers’ to several memorable triumphs, was bestowed that moniker by the South Korean media during the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar when he made 16 saves (and about 35 during the entire tournament) in the group match against the Asian powerhouse.

Of the other Indian goalkeepers in the fray, Kerala Blasters’ Sandip Nandy (16 international caps) does have the stature and experience to make his mark in the high-profile tournament. The 39-year-old ageless wonder starred in Churchill Brothers’ victorious I-League campaign in 2012-13. Other goalkeepers with limited international experience include the consistent Subhasish Roy Chowdhury (four caps, Atletico de Kolkata) and Arindam Bhattacharya five caps, (Pune City). The likes of Shilton Paul and Abhijit Mondal (both Bengaluru), Lalit Thapa (Pune City), Luis Barreto (Kerala Blasters), Ishan Debnath (Mumbai) and the reliable Laxmikant Kattimani (Goa) have experience only at the club level.

Some clubs have preferred to induct upcoming youngsters like Jagroop Singh (Delhi Dynamos) or NorthEast United’s Kunzang Bhutia and Rehenesh TP of Kerala (the only ‘outsider’ in the squad). They are expected to play second fiddle to foreign counterparts. Five of the eight clubs incidentally have picked two Indian keepers each while three have settled for just one. Playing an Indian goalkeeper will depend upon whether the manager will prefer to field six foreign outfield players (five Indians are mandated in the playing XI).

Pal’s foreign stint will obviously serve him in good stead. Initially, he was astonished by the pace with which balls were hit in Denmark. The Oliver Kahn fan, who saved three penalties in the tie-breaker in the Nehru Cup final against Syria in 2009, has settled down since and is now referred to as “Paul the Wall” by his teammates and the difference between him and the other club custodians has narrowed down. On him lies the onus of keeping the flag of Indian goalkeeping flying in the ISL.