ISL Player Draft 2017: Top 10 expensive players, key rules of the draft

A plethora of Indian football stars finds themselves up for grabs during the ISL Player Draft on July 23. Ten Indian Super League teams make their pick and one thing is for sure, the bidding war is set to get furious like anything.

Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Anas Edathodika, Subrata Paul are some of the prominent names featuring in the player draft ahead of a brand new ISL 2017 season, that is set to start right after the FIFA U17 World Cup 2017 and will be taking place for a period of 5-6 months.

Every team, except the Tata Steel-owned Jamshedpur FC, had the option of retaining two key players and while most teams have availed the option, some have left their fate to the day of the draft.

READ: The players retained by the teams

Rules of the draft

• The teams who have retained 2 senior players will be entering the draft after the second round. 
• That means the likes of Atletico de Kolkata, Bengaluru FC, FC Goa, Mumbai City, Kerala Blasters, NorthEast United FC will enter only in round 3.
• Delhi Dynamos, who have not retained any player, will enter the draft in round 1, while FC Pune, who have retained one player, will enter in round 2.
• Chennaiyin FC, having retained two senior players as well as an India capped U21 player, enters the ISL Player Draft in round 4.
• Jamshedpur FC, meanwhile, have the rights to bid first in the draft.
• Each team should have a minimum of 15 and maximum of 18 Indian players -- including two U21 players -- in their squad.
• As many as 200 players are up for grabs in the draft, but reportedly, only 134 of them will see themselves in an Indian Super League team.

Player prices revealed

• Salary cap for each team (both Indian and foreign players): Rs 18 Crores
• To sign foreign players: Maximum Rs 12.5 Crores
• Wages of a marquee player will not fall under the salary cap

Top 10 expensive players in the ISL Player Draft