ISL 2017 Chennaiyin FC Draft Review: A less sturdy looking Indian defence

CHENNAIYIN FC WAS THE TEAM THAT ENTERED LAST in the 2017 Indian Super League Player Draft. They did manage to complete the goalkeeper quota in the team and spread the players across defence and midfield well.

In the post-draft analysis, the attention immediately goes to the ages of the players ,where three players are either 30 or above. This makes the average age of the team in the draft about 27 years, looking a bit on the higher side.

Shahinlal Meloly at 25 years of age is a decent choice but he will probably be the third choice among keepers behind the retained Karanjit Singh and draft pick Pawan Kumar.

After a season of complete absence and hitting his 30's, Dhanachandra Singh, is a curious choice by the Chennaiyin FC management. He will be vying for the left back position with Jerry Lalrinzuala, who is eleven years younger than him. The defence consists of another close-to-30 Fulganco Cardozo. The only other defender in the draft picks, is a the Goan in right-back position, Keenan Almeida.

Thoi Singh and Bikramjit Singh look to see themselves picked in the starting line-ups with notable experience. To give them a fight for keeping their places in mid-pitch will be Sanjay Balmuchu, Francis Fernandes and local boy Dhanpal Ganesh, who was recently part of the national team camp. Germanpreet Singh is the best draft pick for the Marina Machans, who recently gained limelight in the recent AFC Under-23 qualifiers.

Mohammed Rafi, the senior most Indian in the squad may just be picked for a starting eleven position. But at 35, he may even see the foreign signings younger than him in the forward line, making him second choice. Overall, the signings in the defence look less sturdy against some of the better offensive teams in the league.

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