Ishan Pandita

Ishan Pandita

Personal information
Full name	Ishan Pandita
Date of birth	(1998-05-26) 26 May 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth	New Delhi, India
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) [1]
Position(s)	Striker
Team information
Current team	Kerala Blasters
Number	26
Youth career
2014–2015	Alcobendas
2015–2016	Almería
2016–2019	Leganés
2019	Gimnàstic
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019	Pobla Mafumet	1	(0)
2019–2020	Lorca	23	(4)
2020–2021	Goa	11	(4)
2021–2023	Jamshedpur	34	(5)
2023–	Kerala Blasters	15	(2)
International career‡
2021–	India	8	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:30, 19 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17:30, 21 February 2024 (UTC)

Ishan Pandita (born 26 May 1998) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters and the India national team.

Club career

Early and youth career

Pandita moved to the Philippines, where he attended British school in Manila and took football training. ^[2] He returned to Bengaluru at the age of eleven, and then appeared with Student Unions and Bangalore Yellows. ^[2] He soon gained recognition in BDCA Division A and C state soccer leagues. ^[2] IF Brommapojkarna spotted Pandita and included in their U17 side after his brilliant performance at the 2013 Gothia Cup in Sweden. ^[2]

Pandita moved to Spain in 2014 at the age of 16 and joined Alcobendas Juvenil. ^[3] In 2015, he joined the Under-18 team of La Liga club Almería but he did not sign a professional contract as he had not turned 18 that time. ^[4] In the 2016, he joined the U-19 team of Leganés. ^[5] He was the first ever Indian footballer to play for a Juvenil side of a Spanish top division club. ^{[6] [7]} After a spell at Leganes, he signed a short-term contract with the U-23 team of Gimnàstic on 5 January 2019. ^[2]

Pobla Mafumet

Ishan signed his first senior contract for the farm club of Gimnàstic, Pobla Mafumet in early 2019. ^[8] He played only one match for the club throughout his debut season and left the club. ^[9]

Lorca

In August 2019, he signed a one-year deal with Tercera Division Club Lorca. ^[10] He played 26 matches and scored 6 goals and was the top scorer for the club in the 2019–20 season. ^[11]

Goa

Initially he and his family wanted to stay in Spain, but due to the COVID-19 situation it was difficult to find a club for him. ^[12] In early 2020, rumours spread about Pandita's return to India and it was speculated that he might sign for Goa. ^{[13] [14]} In October 2020, the club revealed that it had secured Pandita in their squad. ^{[15] [16]} He made his debut for FC Goa on 30 November 2020 against NorthEast United at 89th minute of that match as a substitute. ^{[17] [18]} He scored his debut goal for FC Goa against Hyderabad on 30 December 2020. He came as a substitute on 86th minute and scored with his first touch on the 87th minute as FC Goa equalised the game. ^[19]

He has also represented FC Goa at the 2021 AFC Champions League, in which they achieved third place in group stages. ^[20]

Jamshedpur

On 2 September 2021, it was announced that Pandita was signed by Jamshedpur on a two-year deal for a fee reported around ₹6 Million, ahead of the 2021–22 Indian Super League season. ^[21] He scored his first goal for the club in their 3–2 win against NorthEast United on 6 January 2022.

Kerala Blasters

On 10 August 2023, Kerala Blasters announced the signing of Pandita on a two-year deal with an option to extend for one more year. ^[22] He made his debut for the club on 18 August, by coming as a substitute in the 60th minute in a match against Bengaluru FC reserves during the 2023 Durand Cup. ^[23] On 21 October, Pandita made his debut for the club in the Indian Super League against NorthEast United FC at home, by coming as a substitute in the 78th minute which ended in 1–1 draw. ^[24]

Despite not scoring a single goal for the Blasters during his debut season, Pandita opened his account in the Blasters' first competitive match of the 2024–25 season against Mumbai City FC on 1 August 2024 in the Durand Cup. ^[25] He came on as a substitute in the second half, replacing hat-trick scorer Kwame Peprah. ^[26] Pandita then completed a brace in quick succession, scoring in the 86th and 87th minutes, as the Blasters secured a record-breaking 8–0 victory. ^[27]

International career

Pandita's performances in his debut season in the ISL were noticed, and subsequently he earned a call-up to the India national team in March 2021, ahead of India's friendlies against Oman and UAE. ^[28] On 25 March, he made his debut in 1–1 draw against Oman. Ishan scored for India during a practice game against I-League All-Stars on 18 May 2022 in Kolkata. ^[29] He scored his first international goal on 14 June against Hong Kong in their 4–0 win at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification.

In September, he participated at the 2022 VFF Tri-Nations Series in Vietnam, where India finished as runners-up. He appeared in India's second match in group stage, against Uzbekistan at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup on 18 January 2024, in their 3–0 defeat.

Personal life

Ishan Pandita was born on 26 May 1998 in Delhi to a family originating in Tral, Kashmir. ^{[30] [31]} He then moved to Bengaluru, ^[32] but stayed there not longer and moved to Spain as he desired to play better football there. ^[33] After spending a term of six years in various lower division Spanish clubs, he returned to India and signed for Goa. ^{[34] [13]}

Career statistics

Club

As of matches played till 8 August 2024 ^[35]

Club	Season	League			Cup		AFC		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Pobla Mafumet	2018–19	Tercera División	1	0	0	0	–		–		1	0
Lorca	2019–20		23	4	2	1	–		–		25	5
Goa	2020–21	Indian Super League	11	4	0	0	6 [a]	0	–		17	4
Jamshedpur	2021–22		17	3	0	0	–		–		17	3
	2022–23		17	2	2 [b]	1	1 [c]	0	–		20	3
	Jamshedpur total		34	5	2	1	1	0	–		37	6
Kerala Blasters	2023–24	Indian Super League	15	0	0	0	–		2 [d]	0	17	0
	2024–25		0	0	0	0	–		1 [e]	2	1	2
	Kerala Blasters total		15	0	0	0	–		3	2	18	2
Career total			84	13	4	2	7	0	3	2	98	17

1. Appearance(s) in AFC Champions League
2. Appearance(s) in Super Cup
3. Appearance(s) in play-offs for AFC Champions League
4. Appearance(s) in Durand Cup
5. Appearance(s) in Durand Cup

International

As of 21 February 2024 ^[36]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
India	2021	2	0
	2022	4	1
	2023	1	0
	2024	1	0
Total		8	1

International goals

Scores and results list India's goal tally first

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1.	14 June 2022	Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, India	4	Hong Kong	4–0	4–0	2023 AFC Asian Cup qualification	[37]

Honours

Jamshedpur

• Indian Super League Shield: 2021–22 ^{[38] [39]}

See also

• List of Indian expatriate footballers

References

1. "Ishan Pandita profile". Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
2. "Indian football Striker Ishan Pandita and his connection with Kashmir". groundreport.in. 18 June 2022. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
3. "18-Year-Old Bengaluru Boy Becomes First Indian to Sign a Contract with Spanish Football League". The Better India. 6 October 2016. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
4. Maxin Mathew (5 October 2016). "Ishan Pandita: Ishan becomes first Indian to sign for Spanish La Liga club | Football News – Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
5. "Five things you must know about new FC Goa signing Ishan Pandita". Khelnow. 13 October 2020. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
6. "ISL: Who is Ishan Pandita, FC Goa's exciting new recruit?". The Week. 9 October 2020. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
7. "FC Goa Players | Squad List & Player Bios". fcgoa.in. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
8. Kundu, Abhishek (14 January 2019). "India's Ishan Pandita joins La Liga II club Gimnastic de Tarragona from CD Leganes". www.sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
9. "Ishan Pandita - Profile and Player Statistics - SoccerPunter". www.soccerpunter.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
10. Dey, Soumyadwip (5 April 2022). "Former India U-17 star Aniket Bharti signs for Orsomarso SC". sportskeeda.com. Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
11. "Ishan Pandita creates history; becomes first Indian footballer to sign La Liga contract". Firstpost. 5 October 2016. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 1 December 2020.
12. "FC Goa's Ishan Pandita: I'm ready to compete with anyone | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
13. Marcus Mergulhao (29 September 2020). "Another 'Spanish' addition for FC Goa as Ishan Pandita completes move | Goa News – Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
14. "ISL: FC Goa sign forward Ishan Pandita for 2020–21 season | Football News – Times of India". The Times of India. PTI. 3 October 2020. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
15. "FC Goa secures Ishan Pandita signing". fcgoa.in. Archived from the original on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
16. "FC Goa secures Ishan Pandita signing". Indian Super League. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
17. "New kid Ishan Pandita ready to show Goa, ISL what the fuss is all about". ESPN. 8 October 2020. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
18. "Goa vs. NorthEast United – 30 November 2020 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
19. "ISL 2020–21 HIGHLIGHTS, Hyderabad FC vs FC Goa: Late Angulo, Pandita Goals Hand Goa 2–1 win Against Hyderabad". News18. 30 December 2020. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
20. "FC Goa announce squad for AFC Champions League: Ishan Pandita, Saviour Gama in as Igor Angulo misses out". The New Indian Express. 8 April 2021. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
21. Sportstar, Team (2 September 2021). "ISL 2021-22: Jamshedpur FC signs Ishan Pandita from FC Goa". Sportstar. Archived from the original on 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
22. "Ishan Pandita signs two-year deal with Kerala Blasters". Sportstar. 10 August 2023. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
23. "Bengaluru FC 2-2 Kerala Blasters Highlights: 10-man KBFC draws Souther derby, gets eliminated from Durand Cup". Sportstar. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
24. Sportstar, Team (21 October 2023). "Kerala Blasters vs NorthEast United FC highlights, KBFC 1-1 NEUFC, ISL 2023-24: Nestor, Danish on the scoresheet as both teams share spoils". Sportstar. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
25. Sharma, Amitabha Das (1 August 2024). "Durand Cup: Kerala Blasters drown Mumbai City in a glut of goals". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 8 August 2024.
26. "Durand Cup 2024: Kerala Blasters FC seal an emphatic 8-0 win over Mumbai City FC". www.indiansuperleague.com. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
27. Sportstar, Team (1 August 2024). "Mumbai City vs Kerala Blasters highlights, Durand Cup 2024: MCFC 0-8 KBFC; Noah, Peprah score hattricks in Blasters' biggest win ever". Sportstar. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
28. "Indian Football: Bipin Singh, Ishan Pandita in 35-man probables list for Oman, UAE friendlies". Scroll. 2 March 2021. Archived from the original on 21 November 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
29. "Indian Football team comfortably defeats I-League XI". footballmonk.com. Football Monk. 18 May 2022. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
30. "FC Goa signs forward Ishan Pandita". The New Indian Express. 3 October 2020. Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
31. "From Kashmir to Madrid: The Story of Ishan Pandita". Kashmir Life. 14 January 2018. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
32. "Delhi-born, Manila-bred, Madrid trained: Ishan Pandita tipped to be the future of Indian football". The Indian Express. 11 October 2020. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
33. "ISL: FC Goa Announce Signing of 22-year-old Forward Ishan Pandita". News18. 3 October 2020. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
34. "ISL: FC Goa sign forward Ishan Pandita for 2020–21 season | Football News – Times of India". The Times of India. PTI. 3 October 2020. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
35. Ishan Pandita at Soccerway
36. "Ishan Pandita". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
37. "India 4–0 Hong Kong". int.Soccerway.com. 14 June 2022. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
38. "Jamshedpur FC clinch League Winners' Shield after beating ATK Mohun Bagan". Indian Super League. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
39. "ISL 2021–22: Jamshedpur win the League Winners Shield | Goal.com". goal.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.

External links

• Ishan Pandita on Twitter
• Ishan Pandita at Global Sports Archive
• Ishan Pandita at Indian Super League