Full list of Chennaiyin FC squad after ISL 2017 player auction/draft
With the end of the Indian Super League draft, which was the biggest ever in the league’s history, the compositions of Indian players in all ten ISL teams are now known. Chennaiyin FC were the last entrants to the draft owing to them having already retained three Indian internationals, but they didn’t fare too poorly in the end.
Making their first pick in round four, Chennaiyin managed to secure the services of Thoi Singh and Dhanachandra Singh, two of their former players. They were also keen on signing Harmanjot Khabra and Jayesh Rane but were thwarted in their attempts.
New head coach John Gregory will be tasked to reclaim the trophy that Chennaiyin won in 2015, but judging on face value, there is not a lot to be excited about the club’s draft pickings. That said, they already have retained star names like Jeje Lalpekhlua and Karanjit Singh before the draft.
Apart from Dhanachandra and Thoi, Chennaiyin also secured the services of Bikramjit Singh, Germanpreet Singh, Fulganco Cardozo, Pawan Kumar, Keenan Almeida, Mohammed Rafi, Dhanapal Ganesh, Sanjay Balmuchu, Francisco Fernandes, Shahin Lal Meloli.
Here is the updated squad list for Chennaiyin FC, including today’s draft signings, the retained players and foreign signings.
Raphael Augusto
Inigo Calderon
Jeje Lalpekhlua
Karanjit Singh
Jerry Lalrinzuala
Anirudh Thapa
Thoi Singh
Bikramjit Singh
Dhanachandra Singh
Germanpreet Singh
Fulganco Cardozo
Pawan Kumar
Keenan Almeida
Mohammed Rafi
Dhanapal Ganesh
Sanjay Balmuchu
Francisco Fernandes
Shahin Lal Meloli
Chennaiyin look far from a potent force with all their signings from the draft, but the presence of Raphael Augusto, Jeje and Karanjit Singh still makes the 2015 champions a difficult opponent on paper. Whether they can repeat their 2015 success in the forthcoming season remains to be seen.