Best XI of 2024-25 ISL season ft. Kaith, Bheke, Apuia, and Chhetri

2024-25 ISL Season: Best XI of the season ft. Ajaraie, Chhetri, Kaith, Maclaren, and Bose

Rahul Bheke was a key figure for Bengaluru at both ends of the pitch

The 2024-25 Indian Super League season was a treat for the fans as 13 teams participated in the league for the first time, making it the longest-ever ISL season and it ended with Mohun Bagan Super Giant securing a double, winning the ISL shield with record points tally followed by winning the ISL trophy in added time in the final.

While Goa gave MBSG a good run for their money in the league season, Jorge Molina’s men were too solid at the back to be troubled by a Goa side which improved under Manolo Marquez but never looked like challengers for the title due to the lack in squad depth at the back.

In this article, we will take a look at the Best XI of the season, keeping in mind the limit of overseas players allowed by the league:

Goalkeeper: Vishal Kaith (Mohun Bagan Super Giant)

Vishal Kaith had a dream season with Mohun Bagan Super Giant as the Mariners’ goalkeeper kept 16 clean sheets and kept his defense water tight throughout the entire season. While Gurpreet Singh Sandhu started the season with five consecutive clean sheets, Kaith had an average start, conceding 6 goals in his first three matches.

Thereon, the story took a wild turn as Kaith conceded only 9 goals and kept 16 clean sheets in the subsequent 24 matches, while Gurpreet lost his way with error after error and had to be dropped from the Indian national team squad for the AFC Asian Cup qualifier in March against Bangladesh with Vishal entrusted with the No.1 jersey in the Blue Tigers’ camp.

Defenders: Boris Singh (Goa), Rahul Bheke (Bengaluru), Alberto Rodriguez (Mohun Bagan Super Giant), Subashish Bose (Mohun Bagan Super Giant)

Boris Singh enjoyed a consistent run at right-back for Goa despite the presence of club captain Seriton Fernandes in the squad. While an attacking player in nature, Boris kept tracking back and served as the perfect right-sided defender in Manolo Marquez’s system, providing a solitary assist and scoring the winning goal against Kerala Blasters as well.

Moving from Mumbai City to Bengaluru, Rahul Bheke was instrumental for the Blues as Gerard Zaragoza’s men started the season with five consecutive clean sheets, endured a bit of a slump, and then got back to winning ways courtesy of their experienced players.

A pass accuracy and a tackle success rate of 86% each make Bheke an automatic pick for the defense ahead of Sandesh Jhingan, who was also crucial in his side making it into the playoffs. The central defender also scored 3 goals and notched up impressive statistics like 28 interceptions and 83 recoveries to help his side finish third in the league standings.

Alberto Rodriguez’s inclusion might surprise a few, given that the Mariners’ centre-back scored an own goal in the final against Bengaluru, but the Spaniard was impressive in the league season, helping his team maintain shutouts on a regular basis.

Apart from league-leading numbers in duels and recoveries, Rodriguez scored 5 goals in the season, including a brace against Punjab and a 25-yard screamer against Kerala Blasters in the dying seconds to wrap up a 3-2 win on that evening.

The presence of Subashish Bose in the backline makes it even more reliable, as the Indian international had a season to remember and could have won the ‘Defender of the Season’ award if that existed in the ISL.

With impressive statistics across the defensive and the attacking spectrum, Bose notched up 6 goals, an ISL record for a defender in a single season, while leading the Mariners to their first-ever domestic double of the ISL Shield and the ISL trophy.

Midfielders: Apuia (Mohun Bagan Super Giant), Brison Fernandes (Goa), Javi Hernandez (Jamshedpur)

MBSG decided to spend big on midfielder orchestrator Apuia, also known as Lalengmawia Ralte and the Mariners’ faith in the midfield lynchpin paid off with two coveted trophies at the end of the season.

While Ralte was a much more attacking force with the Islanders, Apuia mainly focussed on screening the defensive line as the Mariners kept the most number of clean sheets in the season. The central midfielder also scored a screamer against Jamshedpur in the semi-final to send his team into the final with a big bang.

Brison Fernandes enjoyed a breakout season in the absence of former skipper Brandon Fernandes, who moved to Mumbai City ahead of the season. Apart from being the hub of creativity and pulling the strings in midfield, Brison scored 7 goals and provided 2 assists, along with creating 27 chances for his teammates during a successful season.

ISL clubs keep on moving Javi Hernandez, thinking that the creative midfielder has reached his peak in the league, but the Spaniard keeps on impressing every season. In the 2024-25 ISL season, Hernandez was the key threat for Jamsedpur, who enjoyed a season full of joys under head coach Khalid Jamil.

While Javi scored 9 goals and provided 3 assists, it was the 54 fouls won, 147 duels won, and 148 recoveries that helped Javi stand out among other elite creative players, leading the other players in the league in all three departments.

Forwards: Alaaeddine Ajaraie (NorthEast United), Jamie Maclaren (Mohun Bagan Super Giant), Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru)

Alaaeddine Ajaraie was bestowed with the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball awards

NorthEast United was dreaming of making it to the ISL final for the first time in the club’s history, and it was only because of one man; Alaaeddine Ajaraie as the Moroccan forward broke all records, scoring 23 goals and providing 7 assists totalling 30 goal contributions.

The Highlanders’ forward broke record after record during the league season and won the 2024-25 ISL Golden Boot and the 2024-25 ISL Golden Ball awards and would now be looking forward to a second season with the club unless someone prizes him away from Guwahati.

Like most Mohun Bagan players, Jamie Maclaren had a slow start to the season and was mostly restricted to appearances from the bench, with the trio of Jason Cummings, Dimitrios Petratos, and Greg Stewart often starting ahead of the striker.

Maclaren scored 12 goals, including the all-important winning goal in the final and takes his place in the Best XI of the season ahead of many accomplished strikers in the league.

Sunil Chhetri can never be written off, and the legendary forward once again proved that by scoring 14 goals and powering the Blues to the final with important strikes at a crucial stage of the season.

Chhetri had such a good season with his club that Indian head coach Manolo Marquez had to request the veteran to come out of retirement and help the Blue Tigers qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. 

Substitutes

Albino Gomes; Asish Rai, Sandesh Jhingan, Abhishek Singh, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Ayush Chhetri, Connor Shields, Jithin MS, Jesus Jimenez