MUMBAI:
Hero India Super League season 2017-18 Player Draft scheduled to be held on Sunday, 23rd July in Mumbai will feature ten clubs, including the new two entrants – Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC – who will vie for the finest footballers from a strong army of 200 plus Indian players.
Hero ISL regulations allow Clubs to have a minimum of 15 and maximum of 18 Indian players in the squad, including two U21 development players mandatorily. The Clubs were allowed to retain a maximum of two senior players from their 2016 squad, in addition to retaining upto three U21 players to fill up the development player quota.
Eight of the nine teams have made the most of the retention regulation for the season by signing 22 Domestic Players in a bid to create the core of their squad, while Delhi Dynamos have opted to begin on a fresh note for the upcoming season.
As the new team in ISL, Jamshedpur FC will get the first pick in both 1st and 2nd rounds of the Player Draft, while Delhi Dynamos FC will be the second club to exercise their right in the opening round. FC Pune City who have retained only 1 senior player will join the above two in the second round. The rest of the six clubs, except Chennaiyin FC will join the Player Draft from the 3rd round.
Chennaiyin FC will be the only club to join the Player Draft from 4th Round. The 2015 champions have retained promising youngster Jerry Lalrinzuala – a capped Indian player falling under U21 category, in addition to their two senior players retention and hence will have to miss the first three rounds.
ISL 2017-18 Player Draft will witness a total 15 rounds. The sequence for selection of Player Draft rounds for each club will be determined by a draw of lots on Saturday evening.
The Instant Trading Card, first successfully introduced during ISL 2015 Player Draft, allows teams a second chance to trade an already picked player. From the third round onwards, any Club may, within 15 seconds of another Club announcing its Draft pick, press the buzzer to activate the “Instant Trade” process. Representatives of the clubs will then head to the Instant Trading Table to propose, negotiate and close the deal within a stipulated time.
