Main aim is to win the ISL Shield: Mumbai City FC's Vikram Partap Singh
The young Indian forward shared his season goals, targets with Mumbai City FC, and more in an interview.

Mumbai City FC forward Vikram Partap Singh is focused on reclaiming the Indian Super League (ISL) Shield in the 2024-25 season, a feat that would pave the way for their return to AFC competition next year.
Rising through the ranks of the Chandigarh Football Academy, Singh has been with the Islanders since 2020. During his tenure at Mumbai City FC, he has won both the ISL League Shield and the ISL Cup twice.
In his 23 appearances last season, the 22-year-old striker scored eight goals, provided four assists, created 24 chances, and completed 14 successful dribbles, averaging 0.35 goals per game. He aims to maintain his goal-scoring form and surpass his previous records for another successful season with the Islanders.
“The aim is to stay fit for the entire season. I need to be available whenever (the) team needs me. Last year I scored eight goals, so this season I want to score a minimum of ten goals,” Singh said in an interview with Republic World.
The Islanders won the ISL Cup last season but missed out on the League Shield by a whisker. Singh has now set his sights on winning both the Shield and the Cup, a feat they accomplished in the 2020-21 season.
“The objective is to win both the ISL Shield and the ISL Cup. Winning the Shield gives us the chance to play in the AFC Champions League. Hence that is the main aim,” Singh opined.
Singh has achieved the best numbers of his career under the guidance of Petr Kratky. Since the Czech-Australian head coach took charge of the Islanders during the mid-2023-24 season, the versatile winger has thrived in Kratky’s style of play, consistently shining and leading Mumbai City FC to their second ISL Cup victory.
When asked how Kratky contributed to his breakthrough season, Singh remarked, “The working relation with Petr Kratky is really well. I was able to talk freely with him about how I wanted to play and be on the ground. He gave me great advice on how I should play. The freedom I get has really improved my game.”
“We get to learn from every coach. Under Des (Buckingham), I learned how to be in a system and how to play in a system. With Petr (Kratky), it's almost the same tactically, but he gives more confidence to the youngsters. He tells us to play the way we want but at the same time follow the system,” he continued.
Following his success in the ISL, Singh was called up to the Indian national team and made his international debut against Australia in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. The young forward has made four appearances for the Blue Tigers to date. Currently, Singh is in Vietnam with the national team, where India will face the 116th-ranked hosts in a one-off friendly on October 12.
Reflecting on his experience playing for the national team, Singh revealed, “There's a lot of difference between playing for (the) junior level and (the) senior team. I was in the junior team for a long time, so I used to think I'd be able to crack into the senior side early. But debuting for (the) senior team took time, but when I made my debut, it was a completely different feeling.”
“When I met with all the big players, I felt this (is) where things get real and big things start,” he further added.