The Hero Indian Super League (ISL) Player Auction and Draft is around the corner and will be held in Mumbai on July 10th in preparation for the second season of the league. Ten Indian players will go under the hammer in the first ever auction as the eight ISL clubs will battle it out to grab the best of the lot. Sunil Chhetri, who missed the inaugural edition, is of course the big name to watch out for, along with the other accomplished players.On the eve of the big event, indiansuperleague.com caught up exclusively with well known football presenter John Dykes. In a freewheeling chat, he talks about his expectation from the ISL and the upcoming auction, which he is all set to host.Dykes, who paid a visit during the inaugural season of the ISL, said he was very impressed by the way the league kicked off last year. “In terms of average attendance during those three months that the league was active, it [the Hero ISL] was the fourth most watched league in world football,” he remarked. This, according to him, is an incredible start to the footballing revolution taking shape in India. And thinking of its immediate impact, he believed that the ISL will only be growing in a positive direction. “With the presence of the very best Indian players, plus the already exciting line-up of international talent in terms of coaches and players, you can only imagine it will get bigger.”When asked which international talent will light up this season, Dykes was quick to take the name of Simão Sabrosa who was recently announced as NorthEast United FC’s marquee player. “Simão is still young and exciting; he will terrify defenders with his pace and dynamism,” he averred.Coming to the player auction, the football presenter was quizzed on which player he thought would go for the highest bid. He pointed out two names, Sunil Chhetri and Karanjit Singh. “Sunil has international experience and he will not be fazed at all by rubbing shoulders with a superstar or a World Cup winner.” As for shot-stopper Karanjit Singh, he explained, “Good goalkeepers are at a premium in this competition. If he is part of the squad, it will take pressure off the international signings.”Dykes, who has carved a niche for himself with his smooth style of presenting and his in-depth knowledge of the game, believes the ISL clubs would be better off going for foreign attackers. Does this mean the auction/draft will see teams looking at good Indian defenders and midfielders? “At the very top level, the hardest thing in football to do is to score a goal. We discovered last year, by and large, the magic, the high quality that somebody like an Elano can bring is most obviously demonstrated in their ability to score a goal. That is priceless and that is why they will go for a marquee player who is a proven striker,” the ever insightful personality maintained.While we’ll have to wait till Friday to see if the Indian defenders find themselves at the top of the ISL clubs’ most wanted list, it sure is going to be an exciting day of deliberations. Will the clubs be on the same wavelength as John Dykes? Or will there be a twist in the way they look to balance their squads? The answers will unfold shortly.The 2015 Hero Indian Super League Player Auction and Draft will be held in Mumbai on 10th July, 2015. Live telecast will commence at 9:00 AM IST on the Star Sports 2/HD 2 and hotstar.
