ISL 2025-26: Clubs ranked on gametime of Indian U-23 Players

Mohammedan SC gave the most time to Indian U-23 players in ISL 2025-26

One of the most encouraging aspects of Indian football, and particularly the ISL, over the past few years has been the emergence of young talent. In many cases, the younger generation have looked more promising than their senior counterparts, both in terms of performance and results.

That contrast was evident during the AFC Asian Cup qualification cycle. While the senior men’s national team endured a disappointing campaign, the U-23 side narrowly missed out on goal difference, and the U-17 team successfully booked their place in the main tournament.

For Indian football fans, that is an encouraging sign. It highlights the growing quality of the country’s youth talent pool, with several youngsters showing strong technical ability and a competitive mentality on the international stage.

The 2025-26 ISL season further aided that development. With several clubs adopting cost-cutting measures and opting for more affordable domestic and foreign signings, opportunities opened up for young Indian players to earn valuable first-team minutes and showcase their potential at the highest level.

While many youngsters benefited from increased game time, there were still notable exceptions. Players such as Harsh Palande, Dippendu Biswas, Suhail Bhat, Sahil Poonia, and several others who had represented the Indian U-23 national team in recent years failed to play even a single minute during the 2025-26 ISL season. It is a concern that India U-23 head coach Naushad Moosa had highlighted even before the season began.

When it comes to minutes played by Indian footballers aged 23 or below, Mohammedan SC comfortably top the charts. Given their transfer ban and financial limitations throughout the season, the Kolkata-based club was forced to rely heavily on its young players.

Kerala Blasters and Sporting Club Delhi complete the top three, while three of the league’s biggest clubs, Mohun Bagan, Mumbai City, and East Bengal, find themselves towards the bottom of the rankings.

With that in mind, let’s take a club-wise look at the minutes handed to U-23 Indian players during the 2025-26 ISL season and break down which youngsters played how many minutes for their respective teams.

Mohammedan SC – 5406 minutes

Ten players, yes, ten players, aged 23 or younger featured for Mohammedan SC in the ISL this season. Players like Dinesh Meitei, Lalthankima, and Lalngaihsaka, all in their debut ISL campaigns, grabbed their opportunities with both hands and repaid the faith shown in them by head coach Wadoo.

Despite suffering relegation, the club can take pride in the opportunities it provided to these youngsters and the fighting spirit they displayed throughout the season.

• Pukhrambam Dinesh Meitei – 1139 minutes
• Sajad Hussain Parray – 958 minutes
• Thokchom Adison Singh – 869 minutes
• Lalthankima – 759 minutes
• Lalngaihsaka – 740 minutes
• Joseph Lalmuanawma – 312 minutes
• Tangva Ragui – 264 minutes
• Yash Chickro – 239 minutes
• Nikhil Deka – 90 minutes
• Maharabam Maxion – 36 minutes

Kerala Blasters FC – 5060 minutes

With one of the best youth academies in the country, it comes as no surprise that Kerala Blasters rank among the top teams in this category. Vibin, Saheef, Ebindas, Ajsal, and Sreekuttan all progressed through the club’s youth setup and played important roles in the team’s campaign in the 2025-26 ISL season.

Arsh made the most of his opportunity in Sachin’s absence and established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper.

The Blasters could well have topped this list had Korou not been unavailable for a large part of the season due to unfortunate personal circumstances.

• Arsh Shaikh – 1080 minutes
• Vibin Mohanan – 837 minutes
• Muhammed Saheef – 676 minutes
• Bikash Yumnam – 625 minutes
• Freddy Lallawmawma – 549 minutes
• Ebindas Y – 494 minutes
• Muhammad Ajsal – 428 minutes
• Korou Singh – 270 minutes
• Sreekuttan M S – 101 minutes

Sporting Club Delhi – 3750 minutes

Led by former Kerala Blasters reserve team coach Tomasz Tchorz, a coach renowned for nurturing and developing young talent, Sporting Club Delhi’s approach perfectly aligned with his philosophy.

The club provided him with a talented group of youngsters, many of whom made significant contributions throughout the ISL season. Augustine was a constant presence, featuring in multiple positions and missing just one minute all campaign, while Joseph Sunny and Aimen impressed in the final third with their goals and assists.

Clarence returned to the side towards the latter stages of the season in Alex Saji’s absence and delivered a series of solid performances. Meanwhile, Azhar saw his game time reduce following the arrival of Ousmane Fane, having featured regularly during the opening weeks of 2025-26 ISL.

• Augustine Lalrochana – 1169 minutes
• Joseph Sunny – 876 minutes
• Mohammed Aimen – 782 minutes
• Clarence Fernandes – 450 minutes
• Mohammed Azhar – 350 minutes
• Sanatomba Singh – 79 minutes
• Alan Saji – 42 minutes
• Kharon Subba – 1 minute
• Akshat Mehra – 1 minute

NorthEast United FC – 3221 minutes

Even before the season kicked off, NorthEast United made headlines with their ISL squad, registering several young players, including 16-year-olds Gunleiba and Shubham Poonia. While the duo remained unavailable for most of the campaign due to national team commitments, other young Indian players stepped up and made meaningful contributions for the club.

Macarton tops the charts for the most minutes played among the club’s U-23 players, while Parthib enjoyed a good chunk of minutes in his preferred striker role.

Such an opportunity might not have been possible in a typical ISL season, where clubs usually sign six foreign players and rely heavily on overseas strikers.

• Macarton Louis Nickson – 883 minutes
• Parthib Gogoi – 789 minutes
• Mohammed Arshaf A K – 504 minutes
• Bekey Oram – 385 minutes
• Thoi Singh – 336 minutes
• Danny Meitei – 234 minutes
• Dipesh Chauhan – 90 minutes
• Fredy Chawngthansanga – 7 minutes

Also Read: Club-wise list of ISL debutants in 2025-26

Inter Kashi – 3178 minutes

Having earned promotion from the I-League to the ISL, Antonio Habas chose to retain a significant portion of the Indian core that helped Inter Kashi secure promotion last season. Sandeep Mandi and Tomba Singh continued their impressive development, with both players playing key roles in the club’s 2025-26 ISL campaign.

Rohit Danu, who joined the club from Bengaluru FC in search of regular game time, featured regularly on the wings and rediscovered the form and confidence that had made him such a promising talent during his time at Hyderabad FC under Manolo Marquez.

• Sandip Mandi – 1130 minutes
• Haobam Tomba Singh – 961 minutes
• Rohit Danu – 952 minutes
• Aritra Das – 103 minutes
• Karthik Panicker – 32 minutes

Punjab FC – 2943 minutes

Punjab FC, a club renowned for developing and providing opportunities to young players at the ISL level, had six U-23 players feature during the 2025-26 campaign. Kipgen enjoyed a breakthrough season, playing significant minutes in the absence of the injured Suhail, while Pramveer successfully worked his way back into the side after missing the opening four matches.

Ricky established himself as a key figure in midfield in captain Nikhil Prabhu’s absence. His performances were impressive enough to earn him a maiden national team call-up, as he featured for India at the 2026 Unity Cup in London.

• Ricky Shabong – 1165 minutes
• Manglenthang Kipgen – 792 minutes
• Pramveer – 475 minutes
• Muhammad Suhail – 279 minutes
• Singamayum Shami – 200 minutes
• Likmabam Rakesh – 32 minutes

Jamshedpur FC – 2909 minutes

While Jamshedpur FC rank seventh on this list, only Mohun Bagan and East Bengal had fewer U-23 players feature during the 2025-26 ISL season than the Red Miners. A major share of the minutes came from two of India’s most exciting young talents, Nikhil Barla and Mohammad Sanan, both of whom are already part of the senior NT setup.

Lalhriatpuia Chawngthu, a player highly rated by Owen Coyle, enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in midfield. He started each of the club’s final six matches and featured in nine of the thirteen games, establishing himself as an important member of the squad.

• Nikhil Barla – 1170 minutes
• Mohammed Sanan – 1114 minutes
• Lalhriatpuia Chawngthu – 625 minutes

Odisha FC – 2364 minutes

Odisha FC, under the guidance of TG Purushothaman, had a well-balanced squad comprising both promising youngsters and experienced professionals. Several young players stepped up and seized their opportunities when injuries sidelined some of the senior members.

Subham, for example, filled in for Saviour Gama and produced a series of impressive performances, while Sanathoi Singh rose to the occasion in Rahul KP’s absence.

Thoiba Singh, the club’s longest-serving player, continued to deliver consistent performances at the ISL level, forming a reliable partnership in the backline alongside Carlos Delgado.

• Thoiba Singh – 1170 minutes
• Subham Bhattacharya – 580 minutes
• Sanathoi Singh – 219 minutes
• Kojam Beyong – 136 minutes
• Aphaoba Singh – 93 minutes
• Manas Dubey – 90 minutes
• Jeremy Zohminghlua – 67 minutes
• Narendra Naik – 25 minutes
• Raj Kumar Sanyasi – 4 minutes

Bengaluru FC – 1974 minutes

Bengaluru FC, another club renowned for its youth development, showcased the strength of its academy system during its victorious 2025-26 RFDL campaign. The Blues handed opportunities to ten U-23 players during the 2025-26 ISL season, highlighting their continued commitment to developing young talent.

As expected, Fanai accumulated the most minutes among the club’s U-23 contingent, while Ricky Meetei finally received an opportunity to showcase his abilities at the ISL level.

Soham enjoyed a breakthrough campaign, with the young forward seeing a lot of minutes following Pep Munoz’s arrival. In contrast, Vinith Venkatesh experienced a significant reduction in game time after the departure of Gerard Zaragoza.

• Lalremtluanga Fanai – 875 minutes
• Ricky Meetei – 353 minutes
• Soham Varshneya – 240 minutes
• Bungson Singh – 180 minutes
• Shivaldo Singh – 88 minutes
• Vinith Venkatesh – 85 minutes
• Monirul Molla – 68 minutes
• Rishi Singh – 39 minutes
• Kelvin Singh -23 minutes
• Serto Kom – 23 minutes

Chennaiyin FC – 1581 minutes

Chennaiyin FC handed opportunities to several young players under head coach Clifford Miranda in his debut season at the club. Vivek S and Prakadeeswaran enjoyed breakthrough campaigns after progressing through the club’s reserve setup, impressing enough to earn their opportunities at the senior ISL level.

Indian U-23 captain Lalrinliana Hnamte accumulated the most minutes among the club’s U-23 players, while Maheson Singh also enjoyed a breakout season. The youngster’s performances drew praise from Clifford Miranda, who described him as one of the best No. 10s in the country this campaign.

• Lalrinliana Hnamte – 802 minutes
• Maheson Singh – 454 minutes
• Prakadeswaran S – 149 minutes
• Vivek S – 118 minutes
• Gurkirat Singh – 58 minutes

FC Goa – 1495 minutes

While FC Goa had several Indian players step up and deliver impressive performances during the 2025-26 ISL campaign, only five U-23 players featured for the club. Ayush Chhetri, widely regarded as one of India’s finest young midfielders, leads the charts in terms of minutes played, while Bob Jackson enjoyed a breakthrough season, earning starts in three matches.

Harsh Patre, despite making the move from Bengaluru FC to FC Goa, struggled for regular game time as he found himself lower down the midfield pecking order. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Prachit Gaonkar made appearances in just three matches throughout the campaign.

• Ayush Chhetri – 975 minutes
• Bob Jackson – 270 minutes
• Harsh Patre – 113 minutes
• Ronney Willson – 90 minutes
• Prachit Gaonkar – 47 minutes

Mohun Bagan Super Giant – 1099 minutes

Mohun Bagan Super Giant had several highly-rated U-23 players in their squad, including Priyansh Dubey, Dippendu Biswas, and Suhail Ahmad Bhat. Yet only one U-23 player featured for the club during the 2025-26 ISL season, and it was none of those three. Instead, it was summer signing Abhishek Singh, who arrived from Punjab FC for a hefty fee.

While Priyansh’s lack of opportunities can be understood given the stability in the goalkeeping department, the fact that players like Dippendu and, in particular, Suhail failed to receive a single minute of game time is difficult to understand and raises serious questions about the lack of opportunities for youngsters at the club.

• Tekcham Abhishek Singh – 1099 minutes

Mumbai City FC – 769 minutes

Mumbai City FC had seven U-23 players feature during the 2025-26 ISL season with a few players only featuring for single digit minutes across the 13 games.

Zothanpuia, who made the step up from the I-League to the ISL, enjoyed an impressive debut campaign and was one of the club’s standout young performers. His performances were good enough to earn him a call-up to the Indian U-23 national team.

Meanwhile, Akash’s return from injury resulted in reduced opportunities for Franklin, who had featured regularly for the club during the previous season.

Sheikh Aadil made a step-up from the youth team and featured for the senior team for first time this ISL season.

• Zothanpuia – 548 minutes
• Ayush Chhikara – 134 minutes
• Franklin Robin Nazareth – 46 minutes
• Gyamar Nikum – 27 minutes
• Amandeep Singh – 8 minutes
• Nathan Rodriguez – 3 minutes
• Sheikh Aadil – 3 minutes

East Bengal FC – 0 minutes

East Bengal FC, who won the 2025-26 CFL Premier Division with a squad featuring several promising youngsters, surprisingly did not have a single U-23 player feature in the 2025-26 ISL season. However, there can be little criticism of Oscar Bruzon’s approach, as his reliance on experienced players with proven ISL pedigree ultimately helped deliver the league title.

Guite, Joseph Justin, and Gourab Shaw were the three development players registered in the squad, but none of them managed to impress Oscar Bruzon enough to earn minutes during the campaign.

Which club handed the most gametime to Indian U-23 players?

Mohammedan SC lead the chart as they provided 5406 minutes to Indian players U-23.

Who lifted the ISL 2025-26 title?

East Bengal FC were crowned the ISL 2025-26 champions.

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