Promising Indian defender Sandesh Jhingan has signed for Indian Super League franchise Kerala Blasters once again, and the 21-year-old Chandigarh lad will be plying trade for the Kerala-based outfit for the second successive season.
Jhingan had been phenomenal in the first edition of the ISL with the franchisee, co-owned by cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and entrepreneur Prasad V Potluri.
The defensive rock, who got his senior team debut in the Indian National Team under coach Stephen Constantine at the Russia 2018 World-Cup pre-qualifiers against Nepal in Guwahati on March 12, went on to bag the Emerging player of the ISL award in the last edition, as well as the AIFF Emerging Footballer of the Year Award.
Looking ahead to his second spell in the lucrative football tournament, Jhingan said that he didn't think twice before signing for Blasters.
"When KBFC gave me an offer, I had no second thoughts in my head and signed the contract with a big smile," Jhingan was quoted as saying by the Kerala Blasters' official page.
Blasters responded to the defender saying that he is a fan favourite, and the franchisee is glad to have retained him.
"Sandesh Jhingan is a fan favourite, and we are glad to have him at #KBFC, for the second edition of the ISL!" they tweeted.
The defender, who stands at 6'2", appeared in 14 games for the Blasters in the first edition of the league, and remained one of the consistent figures in the backline.
Blasters were defeated by Atletico de Kolkata in the finale of the ISL 2014, and looking at a crestfallen Jhingan, the legendary Tendulkar had these choicest words for the youngster:
"Get over it. It took me six attempts to win the World Cup," Jhingan had revealed the master blaster had said to him.
With the motivating words of the legend ringing in his ears, Jhingan went to ply trade on loan with I-League outfit Sporting Clube de Goa for the 2014-15 season, and saved the Goa side from relegation. When he arrived at the club, they were without a win from as many as 10 games, and were in severe threat of getting demoted to the Second Division League.
The second edition of the Indian Super League kicks off on 3 October, and Blasters take on NorthEast United FC in their first game of the this edition of the ISL on 6 October. The game will take place at the JLN Stadium in Kochi.
