Top 10 Strikers to Watch In ISL 2025 – The Ultimate List

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They stand strong at the forefront. They carry the team’s hard work to the final win. These are the strikers who blew our minds in the last decade.

What is a hero? The one who gives you hope in total despair, or the one who changes tides in a second? What distinguishes an ordinary player from a hero? Ralph Waldo Emerson said the difference is not bravery, it’s being brave five minutes longer. 

And what better evidence of this than an arena with 22 players, and after a great tussle, all eyes are on that one person. That striker at the forefront puts everything on the line, and we are gathered here to discuss those five minutes of absolute courage to carry the team to the win. 

These forwards have reinvented football in the India Super League with nail-biting games and unexpected goals. I cannot stress enough how inspiring these moments have been, giving a new perspective on what it means to face challenges head-on. 

Disclaimer: The list is compiled data from Reddit, Youtube, Twitter, Quora, other football forums, and articles, as well as official ISL site rankings. We have also sprinkled a few of our personal biases. The pool may contain past players simply because their iconic history can’t be ignored. Feel free to add your recommendations in the comments section below. 

Most Eggs In One Basket Ever: The OG Forwards of The ISL 

Regardless of how aggressive a striker has to be, it’s his stoic moments that get the goal. Let me explain– high on adrenaline can get you an obvious goal. But what about the sliver of chance? Only a legend knows that football is not just about physical prowess but also about the kinesthetic aptitude on how to score in the least probability. 

The following list evaluates the players on how well they carry the team and why they should be marquee players. (List in no particular order).

Armando Sadiku (FC Goa)

Once upon a time, there was a prince. He had only one love in his heart and only one thing on his mind. His love knew no bounds, but the world knew about the greatness of his love. 

Telling the tales of 24 pages, his passion was etched in history with 10 goals, 256 successful passes at 76% accuracy and 24 shots on target. 

But what was his love? The Albanian legend’s love for scoring a goal every time he is on the field is a love story for the ages and the happily ever after for us fans.  

Jorge Pereyra Diaz (Bengaluru FC)

Somewhere over the rainbow…..there lived a man, the myth, the legend. The world sang the tunes of his glory, but very few could really fathom the depths of his skills. With 29 goals under his credit, 688 successful passes and a staggering ratio of shots on/off target (54:43), he is the ultimate bull whom no one can contain. 

The Diaz diaries are nothing short of a holy book for young players on how to dominate with aggression and precision. 

Roy Krishna (Odisha FC)

https://twitter.com/Sports18/status/1782787334452220232

Beyond the surreal seas and colossal oceans, a rare barouche was discovered in the beautiful islands of Fiji. But the rider’s unimaginable roots in India brought his colossal talent to a whole new limelight. 

56 goals, 110 shots on target, 495 touches in the opposition box, and 144 chances created is a testament to the famous words by Lord Krishna– “You have the right to work, but never to its fruits.”

When the Golden Boot Award Winner is on the field, he is the charioteer for his brothers, carrying the team on his back and bearing the fruits of the cup!

Igor Angulo (Mumbai City FC)

In the sea of main characters, Angulo is the one hero who guards from behind when the going gets tough and when the tough gets going he leads from the front.  

24 goals, 339 successful passes at 77% passing accuracy, 46 shots on target at a goal conversion rate of 29– these are not just numbers, but a saga of a man’s persistence through adverse plays. 

Jason Cummings (Mohun Bagan SG)

“Cometh the hour, cometh the man– the Cummings”

Summon “the Jason” when the team is hanging by the last thread. 

Within a couple of seasons, Cummings proved his reliability with 13 goals, a positive ratio of 25:15 for shots on to off target, with a painstaking precision of 32.5 goal conversion rate (probably the highest of anyone on the list).

Miku (Bengaluru FC)

It was a brief fable, but the impact of which resonates today and for the generations after that. Miku is the widely loved warrior who showed what it means to make something of every moment. 

Within just 32 appearances, he kicked like a storm with 20 goals and rained 543 successful passes. Coming in like a wrecking ball at a 25.5 goal conversion rate, Miku just proved that life doesn’t necessarily have to be long, it has to be momentous. And his brief ISL stint is nothing short of iconic. 

Iain Hume (Kerala Blasters, ATK FC)

https://twitter.com/IndSuperLeague/status/1025032724266942465

Is it really an epic franchise if it doesn’t have three incredible tales to tell? It was a day that we witnessed a rare meteor passing through Earth. 

If you are a true fan, the “hat-trick Hume” would still echo as it did when he swept out the other team with three back-to-back goals and the entire stadium erupted in roars. 

Another legend on the list with brief 69 appearances turned an unexpected leaf in ISL’s history with 29 goals in his credit. At a 22.2 goal conversion rate, Hume is the most scientifically accurate player ISL have ever witnessed. 

Lallianzuala Chhangte (Mumbai City FC)

In a world, where a person’s value is determined by their academics, package, and settled life, one man truly shines as the alchemist who can mould his unusual dream into a worthwhile reality.

https://twitter.com/JioCinema/status/1740401000593391940

The man in question is none other than Chhangte who proved that when you follow your dream, you live life to the fullest. 

The formidable forward has the longest runtime on the list with 11309 minutes on the field. And his stats corroborate his trajectory with 40 goals, 657 touches in the opposition box, and 2737 successful passes at 80% passing accuracy. What more, he hits the final nail in the opposition’s coffin with 131 shots on target at an 18.1 goal conversion rate. 

Marcelinho (last played: NorthEast United FC )

If there’s a main character, there has to be a father of the protagonist to show how it’s really done. With his paternal dominance, Marcelinho shaped ISL as we know it today. 

Casually running through the field and scoring 34 goals is a patent Marcelinho, a skill not common in everyone. 

Exhibit: 1343 successful passes with 70% passing accuracy and 305 touches in the opposition box. He showed what it means to be a team player and why scoring should be the aim. That’s more heroic than acting like a hero.  

Nerijus Valskis (Chennaiyin FC)

In a galaxy far far away, a rare skilled species was discovered, which brought a whole new dimension to ISL. 

Valskis is that player who rises once a millennium. But when they do, they create history like never before. Is it science fiction or something else, I can’t really put a pin on how he manoeuvres the ball to his tunes. With a ratio of 56:44 shots on and off target, Valskis is the hell of an attacker, with an aim of 25.67 goal conversion rate. With 27 goals under his credit, Valskis is a man of valour 

Bartholomew Ogbeche (Hyderabad FC)

In a rare occurrence, where it’s the utmost privilege to witness this supremacy, a titan emerges and annihilates the entire stadium. 

He boasts 63 goals, 1277 successful with 72% passing accuracy, 116 shots on target, and an inimitable swag that dominates the opposition. 

The attack of the titan is aggressive, but hella calculative too as evident from his 26.2 goal conversion rate. Which makes him a much more lethal weapon to be nuked at your own risk. 

Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru FC)

All hail the king! The one who conquers every field and the ruler of fanboys. Chhetri is not just a leaf, he is history. 

For those unversed, if there’s a name that has given some hope to India’s football scene it is Sir Chhetri. 

Even after the most epic run of 12816 minutes, Chhetri continues to inspire the younger lot as a mentor, while simultaneously dominating them on the field. 

64 goals, 604 touches in the opposition box, 2775 successful passes at 74% accuracy, 172 shots on target at a 19.81 goal conversion rate….these are the tales of times when an emperor walked amongst the warriors and showed them what it means to be a leader. 

What would you consider as the top trait of a forward? Do you have any other underrated players that we missed out on? Choose your player or comment your all-time favourite and let’s see who takes the ultimate crown. 

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