Top five contemporary Indian football players from Delhi

The national capital of the country has produced some exciting talents in recent years.

India sees brilliantly talented footballers come from every nook and corner of the country. However, when it comes to the heart of the nation, things are a bit different. The national capital of India, New Delhi does not have a dedicated team in the Indian Super League (ISL), the top football league of the country. This means a lot of the upcoming players emerge on the big stage from other states.

There has been a lack of proper investment and talent identification, but steps are being taken to mend this. There has been an influx of young footballers from the national capital, who have the potential to reach new heights.

When Delhi is mentioned, arguably the biggest name that crosses our minds immediately is Sunil Chhetri. The Indian football team and Bengaluru FC skipper has been by far the best footballer that the country has produced in a long, long time.

Khel Now takes a look at five other contemporary players to emerge from the national capital:

5. Deepak Devrani

Deepak Devrani plays for Gokulam Kerala in the I-League. The Kozhikode-based outfit have a lot of local talent in their ranks, which garnered a lot of attention in the past season. They were also crowned champions of the league in 2020-21. Devrani is a defender by trade, who has previously featured for Pailan Arrows, Sporting Clube de Goa, FC Pune City, Mohun Bagan, Minerva Punjab and others.

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The 28-year-old has won three I-League titles, once each with Mohun Bagan, Minerva Punjab and Gokulam. He is one of the most experienced defenders in the league.

4. Dalima Chhibber

Dalima Chhibber is one of the most recognizable upcoming talents in the women’s game. The 23-year-old currently plays for Canadian side Manitoba Bisons. She has previously represented teams like Pune City, India Rush and Gokulam Kerala in the Indian Women’s League. 

The defender is a regular in the Indian national team and has helped the side win the gold medal in the South Asian Games (2016) and SAFF Women’s Championships in 2016 and 2019. Football Delhi, the governing authority for football in the national capital cinferred her the award of Best Player (female) back in 2018-19. 

3. Ayush Adhikari

Ayush Adhikari is an upcoming talent who plays for Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters. The young, energetic attacking midfielder is very promising and has represented India’s development teams on the international stage. The Delhi-based player has previously played in the Delhi division leagues and trained at the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) academy at the Yamuna Sports Complex. 

Ayush has a promising career ahead of him, however he needs to find more game-time. The 20-year-old only managed 17 minutes of football during the 2020-21 season. He also received the Best Player (male) award alongside Dalima Chhibber from Football Delhi in 2018-19. 

2. Aditi Chauhan

Indian women’s football team goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan also hails from New Delhi. She is currently playing for Icelandic club Hamar Hverageroi. More notably, she has featured for West Ham United Ladies and became the first Indian women’s football player to play in England by doing so.

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The 28-year-old is one of Delhi’s most famous players and is also a huge inspiration for budding female players.

1. Rohit Kumar

Rohit Kumar plays for Kerala Blasters in the ISL. The midfielder is slowly yet surely finding his feet in the competition. He has played four seasons in the league, amassing over 40 overall appearances, scoring three goals and making one assist in the process.

Rohit is one of Delhi’s most established Indian football players. The 24-year-old has previously played for DSK Shivajians and FC Pune City. The Yellow Army signed the midfielder from Hyderabad FC. Rohit has a bright future ahead of him and is an inspiration for all the local boys from the national capital, who are looking to hit the big stage.

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