ISL TOTW 10: Provat Lakra, Raynier Fernandes & Jayesh Rane among the finest in the league

The round saw commendable performances by many young domestic players.

The Indian Super League (ISL) had some really tight affairs in the most recent week, with some intense draws and thrilling high-scoring matches being played. Bengaluru FC remained undefeated, while Mumbai City FC and ATK rose up with some crunching victories. There were some special performances from the domestic lot, with multiple young boys proving their mettle with bright showings. Here is our ISL team for game-week 10.

Goalkeeper: Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem (Kerala Blasters)

After a bright performance in the Southern Derby, Dheeraj maintained confidence and produced another stellar display against Jamshedpur FC. Dheeraj looked sharp as ever in between the posts and used his alertness to thwart Jamshedpur’s attack on regular intervals. He made four saves, with one especially astounding one to deny Mario Arques. Was unlucky to concede the dodgy penalty, which tainted what was otherwise a brilliant night for the 18-year-old.

Right-Back: Provat Lakra (NorthEast United)

Lakra put up a brilliant showing against the league-leaders, keeping things tight on the right-hand side.  He kept Sunil Chhetri and co quiet on that flank, nullifying much of Nishu Kumar’s overlapping runs from full-back. Lakra stood his ground in a gritty performance, making six clearances as well as three interceptions and blocks. He looked solid throughout his tenure but had to be stretchered off after suffering a nasty blow.

ISL Indian Team of the Week 10

Center-Back: Joyner Lourenco (Mumbai City FC)

Lourenco's prolific season with the Islanders continued with two strong showings in the week, especially against defending champions Chennaiyin FC at home. Lourenco did well to thwart much of Delhi’s attacks but was on form against Chennaiyin. He made an amazing 10 clearances, five tackles and four interceptions against the Marina Machans, completely neutralizing Jeje’s threat. Joyner worked really hard to contain Chennaiyin’s threat and earned another clean-sheet for his side.

Center-Back: Rahul Bheke (Bengaluru FC)

Bheke’s impressive run continued in a difficult away trip to NorthEast United, where he did a commendable job in keeping the home side relatively quiet. He kept himself defensively stable throughout the game, making some important challenges to thwart the Highlanders. Bheke made a terrific eight clearances in the game, whilst making three blocks to stop NorthEast from getting a sniff into the goal and limiting them to the solitary goal.

Left-Back: Subhashish Bose (Mumbai City FC)

The left-back is proving to arguably be the best domestic defender this season and gave a series of excellent performances once again. The hard-working defender’s clever nature helped him churn out multiple commendable performances, especially against Chennaiyin FC. Bose looked solid on the left, nullifying Chennaiyin’s attacking threat and keeping them from penetrating through his side. He made four clearances, tackles and blocks each and proved why he’s favored by Stephen Constantine so much with more excellent performances.

Right-Wing: Jayesh Rane (ATK)

Jayesh Rane’s slowly attaining his old form for ATK and he gave a memorable performance against former side Chennaiyin FC. Rane looked dangerous right from the get-go, troubling the defending champions with his movement and trickery. He scored an absolute scorcher in the first half, with his emphatic shot from 30 yards out silencing the crowd. Rane worked hard throughout the game and earned three crucial points for ATK.

Center-Midfield: Sahal Abdul Samad (Kerala Blasters)

The young midfielder proved to be a bright spark in Kerala’s midfield, lighting up the mood with his creativity and determination. Samad conjured up many attacks with his creative distribution and lifted his team-mates with his passes. He could have scored early in the game, but his shot rattled the woodwork and went out. Samad acted as Kerala’s creative general in midfield and despite not getting any assists, his impact was felt throughout.

Center-Midfield: Raynier Fernandes (Mumbai City FC)

Arguably the player of the week, Raynier Fernandes introduced himself to the ISL in style with some brilliant performances. He played a big role in both of Mumbai’s win in the week, sparking the comeback with a goal after coming on against Delhi Dynamos. Raynier earned a start against Chennaiyin FC and grabbed it with both hands, scoring another superb goal to increase his tally. The energetic midfielder gave some tireless performances for the Islanders and helped them gain six crucial points.

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Left-Wing: Lallianzuala Chhangte (Delhi Dynamos)

Chhangte proved to be Delhi Dynamos’ biggest attacking threat with another blazing performance, which he started emphatically by scoring in the third minute itself. Apart from that, Chhangte’s movement and trickery was a constant problem for Mumbai City, who had to work really hard to contain him after that. He got another promising shot on goal saved later on and tested Mumbai’s resolve with his electric runs and shots on goal.

Striker: Thoi Singh (Chennaiyin FC)

Thoi Singh might’ve been on the losing side on both occasions, but was arguably Chennaiyin’s best attacker last week. He gave a terrific performance against ATK, scoring in his usual clever demeanor to bring things level against the Kolkata-side. Thoi gave a tireless performance and took many swipes at goal, but was unlucky not to get more. He also provided the assists for Isaac’s goal later on with a creative pass, but his impressive performance went in vain.

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Striker: Seminlen Doungel (Kerala Blasters)

Doungel did his best to lift the mood of the Kerala Blasters fans and won over many with another effective performance for the Kochi-based side. Len’s impressive movement and creativity made sure he was in the thick of things in attack, as he had multiple shots on target which were eventually saved. He gave a poacher’s finish to equalize things for his side but was unable to get the winner despite much pressing.