ISL 2025-25: Top five Indian players to watch in the Indian Super League

The 2025-26 Indian Super League (ISL) season is finally ready to kick off with defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant taking on Kerala Blasters in the opener at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday.

Fourteen teams will play a total of 91 matches until May 17, with each team playing 13 matches, once against each club. The team that finishes at the top of the rankings takes home the trophy.

With the competition set to take place in a truncated format, several foreign players within the club have opted to leave to be loaned out for the rest of the season. However, this gives home-grown talents the opportunity to play their part and make their case for the national team, especially with an international FIFA program coming up in March.

Here are the top five Indian players to watch out for in the 2025-26 ISL season:

Brison Fernandes

FC Goa’s Brison Fernandes made headlines last year after scoring his side’s first goal in the AFC Champions League 2 against Saudi Pro League giants Al Nassr at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa. The 24-year-old has been described by coach Manolo Marquez as one of the “best players” he has coached during his time in India.

Last year he was named ISL Emerging Player of the Season after finishing with seven goals and two assists in 24 appearances.

Suhail Bhat

With Sunil Chhetri no longer part of the national team, India are looking for fresher faces to fill his role up front. Suhail Bhat of Mohun Bagan Super Giant will be keen to prove himself as a worthy candidate. The 20-year-old has scored three goals in six games for the Under-23 national team and four goals in 34 appearances (mostly off the bench) for his club.

While the Mariners have the services of experienced foreign strikers, Suhail will certainly get plenty of opportunities as MBSG will look to defend their title in this busy season.

Vibin Mohanan

Since the 2023/24 season, Vibin Mohanan has been a mainstay in the Kerala Blasters midfield. After making his debut under Ivan Vukomanovic, Vibin quickly became known for his composure on the ball and his ability to pick out his attackers with both long and short passes from deeper positions.

Ahead of the new season, Vibin has proven his mettle with three goals and one assist in eight games for the U-23 national team. And with stalwart Adrian Luna on loan, Vibin will have even more responsibility when it comes to creating chances and even finding the back of the net.

Pramveer Singh

Last season, Punjab FC’s Pramveer Singh shot into the spotlight after becoming the youngest player to start a match in the ISL (17 years and 189 days) when he was named on the team sheet against Mohun Bagan Super Giant. While his side lost the match 1-3, Pramveer made four interceptions, one block, one recovery and had a passing accuracy of 79 percent. His performance seemed to have impressed the manager as he played in 9 of the remaining 12 games of the season.

With several national caps at the U-17, U-20 and U-23 levels, Pramveer is expected to be a vital part of head coach Panagiotis Dilperis’ plans as he looks to improve on the Shers’ eighth and 10th-place finishes in their two ISL campaigns so far.

Mr. Singh

While Kerala Blasters had a disappointing performance last season, 19-year-old Korou Singh was one of the few bright spots. After making his debut for the club in the 2023-2024 season, Korou became a regular for the team on the wings and impressed last season with two goals and four assists in 17 appearances. During this period, he also became the youngest player to assist in ISL history (17 years and 340 days) during a match against Hyderabad FC.

With several big names having left KBFC in recent months, Korou will be keen to further strengthen his position and help his side fight for a first title.

Published on February 14, 2026