3 college boys in ISL player draft

As the Indian Super League (ISL) Indian player draft unfolds here on Sunday, three college boys could realise their dreams of rubbing shoulders with the superstars of Indian and global football in the upcoming edition of the tournament, to be held later in the year.

Emerging from the ambitious inaugural Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) campus football championship, Mumbai lad Umesh Perambra and Kerala duo of Ajith Sivan and Akshay Joshy have been drafted in the ISL player draft.

The talented trio first caught the eye of All India Football Federation (AIFF) scouts during RFYS championship finals in January 2017 and soon were invited for India Under-23 selection camp for AFC Championship qualifiers under senior national team's coach Stephen Constantine here.

Parembra, a central defender who played for Thakur College (Mumbai), was impressive at the back for his team as they made it to the RFYS College finals this January. He is an attacking midfielder and will be keen to get an opportunity to hone his skills in ISL.

Young Akshay Joshy was spotted at RFYS representing his college Sacred Heart, Kochi while Ajith Sivan is the third college boy to sign for the draft. The midfielder stood out in the RFYS finals despite his Nirmala College from Kochi ending up on losing side against Charuchandra College (Kolkata).

The ISL player draft will witness a total of 15 rounds. The sequence for selection of player draft rounds for each club will be determined by a draw of lots on Saturday.

--IANS

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