One of the huge attractions of the Hero Indian Super League is the presence of marquee players in the line-ups of the eight franchise clubs. These include World Cup, Champions League, continental championship and League & Cup winners from the major footballing nations of Europe and South America. These marquee players have added a lot of star power to and stoked fan interest in the league, apart from contributing with flashes of brilliance or sustained performance to the fortunes of their respective teams. When it comes to performances though, statistics are usually the best indicators of how the marquee players are faring. So this is how they stack up at the halfway plus mark of the league:Luis García (Atlético de Kolkata)García has been an important cog in the league topping machine that is Atlético de Kolkata. Though he has missed a couple of games through injury, he’s been at his creative best whenever he’s played, with one goal, one assist and 155 passes going forward, with a 67.39% passing accuracy.Elano Blumer (Chennaiyin FC)The youngest marquee player in the tournament is also the pick of the lot, netting eight of Chennai’s 14 goals so far, and also contributing an assist. Elano is the only marquee player in the top ten players ranked on their performance index, and is the frontrunner by far for the Golden Boot. He also boasts a shot accuracy of 65.71%, while winning 26 fouls for his team.Alessandro Del Piero (Delhi Dynamos FC)Del Piero is the only marquee attacker who hasn’t scored yet, but has shown ample quality going forward, with 17 free-kicks, 18 crosses and 18 fouls earned for his team. The Italian is due a good performance and the Dynamos need him to fire to elevate them from the bottom of the table.Robert Pirès (FC Goa)Pirès scored his first goal against in Delhi recently, but has mostly been influential as a playmaker for the most attacking team in the ISL. With a pass accuracy of 88.28%, Pirès has found his teammates 211 times out of 239, and has been 66.6% accurate with his shots on goal.David Trezeguet (FC Pune City)The French striker has the best goal conversion rate amongst all marquee players, with a 40% conversion rate from shots taken on target, to Elano’s 34.78%. He is also a tidy passer, finding a team mate with 81.91% of his passes in his five matches for the team in third place.David James (Kerala Blasters FC)David James has also excelled in his position as goalkeeper in the seven matches he has played for the Kerala Blasters. In the process, he’s found himself amongst the top three keepers vying for the Golden Glove, with a 79.16% success rate at saves, holding on to the ball 67 times in all scenarios and conceding a goal every 126 minutes.Fredrik Ljunberg (Mumbai City FC)It would be unfair to judge Freddie Ljunberg’s performances as he has been out for most of the tournament due to injury and played only 65 minutes over two matches. His passing has been perfect, with a 100% accuracy, but he has attempted only 25 passes.Joan Capdevila (NorthEast United FC)The only defensive marquee player in the mix, Capdevila’s team has conceded the fewest goals so far, a testimony to his class and experience. The Spaniard has made 37 clearances, 22 interceptions and 5 blocks to keep out goals, to go with his 80% shot accuracy and an 87.21% passing accuracy.
