ISL player draft: Here's all you need to know about new system for domestic player signings

Indian Super League is all set to have a domestic player draft in Mumbai later this month. The organisers of the cash-rich football league confirmed that local players have to sign up for the July 23 event if they do not want to risk being left out of action in the 2017 season.

It was earlier reported that Football Players' Association of India (FPAI) was not in favour of the player draft, as it felt that players will be robbed of a free market, in which they will have the right to the team of their choice. A draft system may also mean that players could be moved to a different club without even being allowed to negotiate the monetary aspects of their contracts.

The FPAI claimed 89 percent of the players, including India skipper Sunil Chhetri, did not want a draft system for signing and retaining players for the upcoming edition, which is set to begin in November. Even All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel had reportedly spoken against it, only to take back his words a week later.

However, it has now been confirmed that draft system is compulsory under the Article G VII of the ISL guidelines. Notably, the draft guidelines were circulated to the franchises on Friday. The draft arrangement though is yet to be officially announced by the governing body.

With AIFF reducing the number of foreign players in the playing XI from six to five for the upcoming edition, it will interesting to see how teams go about adding domestic talent to their line-ups.

Here is all that you need to know about the player draft system.

• Except for ISL newbies Tata steel, other nine teams, including former I League side Bengaluru FC, gave a list of five domestic players, who they would want to retain before the June 30 deadline.
• Players who do not make the list will have to negotiate a price with the organisers before entering the draft.
• Teams will have the right to retain only two players and the rest in the list will enter the draft. The cut-off date for retaining players is July 7.
• Teams have already started talking to their top targets and it was confirmed last week that Bengaluru FC had retained Chhetri and Udanta Singh. Atletico de Kolkata have also reportedly signed a multiyear deal with highly-rated Mohun Bagan custodian Debjit Majumder.
  

  
• Notably, FC Pune City are also keen on securing the services of Vishal Kaith and Eugeneson Lyngdoh for the 10-team league later this year.
• While clubs will be negotiating with the top domestic stars, quite a few, including Subrata Paul, Robin Singh, Sandesh Jhingan and Narayan Das are expected to be among the draft picks.
• At the player draft, Tata Steel will be automatically participating from the first round. Other teams will join the draft in the round, corresponding to the number of players they have retained.
• The salary cap for each franchise, including Indian and foreign players' remunerations, will be Rs 18 crore. A maximum of Rs 12.5 crore can be spent on foreign signings.
• Also, the wage of one marquee signing per team will not be considered under the salary cap. However, if a team wishes to sign two marquee players, then the wage of the one with the higher remuneration will be part of the team's salary cap.