New rules of ISL, it is mandatory for seven Indian players to play in the XI

In the 2021-22 season of Hero Indian Super League, there will be an increase in the number of Indian players in the XI. In fact, according to the new guidelines for coach and player selection of Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), it will now be mandatory for clubs to keep at least seven Indian players on the field at any given time.

ISL officials said at least six Indian players used to play in the XI in the ISL seasons so far, but now the number will be seven, which means there will be one foreign player in the XI. That is, now only four foreign players will enter the field.
Continuous progress and innovation has been the focus of FSDL to develop Indian football since the inception of the ISL. The latest changes to the Player Guidelines have been made to bring about continuous improvement in India’s premier football event.

It is noteworthy that in the first season of ISL played in the year 2014, a maximum of six foreign and five Indian players were allowed on the field. After this, the number of Indian players in the XI in the league steadily increased. It was mandatory to have a minimum of six Indian players in the ISL 2017-18, which has now been increased to seven.

Limiting the maximum number of foreign players to four is in accordance with the rules for club competitions of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). After this change, clubs can sign up to six foreign players, of which one must be from an AFC member country.