How many times have Indians scored 10 goals or more in a season in the last 26 years?

ATK Mohun Bagan's Liston Colaco is enjoying a dream in the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) season. The Goan attacker is the highest Indian goalscorer in the league at the moment with eight goals in 18 appearances. He has also provided three assists.
Colaco is just two goals shy of becoming the second player after Sunil Chhetri to reach double digits for goals in the history of the ISL.
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In the history of India's top division leagues, including the National Football League (NFL) and the I-League, Bhaichung Bhutia is the most consistent player when it comes to scoring 10 goals or more in a season. The East Bengal legend has scored in double digits on four occasions, once with JCT in the inaugural NFL season, twice with East Bengal and once with Mohun Bagan.
After Bhutia comes Sunil Chhetri who has achieved this feat thrice, twice in the NFL/I-League (with JCT and Bengaluru FC) and once in the ISL for the Blues.
Other than Bhutia and Chhetri, players like Ashim Biswas, RC Prakash and Raman Vijayan feature in this list of Indian players with double-digit goals tally in a league season.
It has to be noted that former Pune FC midfielder Arata Izumi scored 10 goals in the 2009/10 season of the I-League but he did not hold an Indian citizenship at that point. Only in 14 seasons out of the last 25 years, has an Indian player scored 10 goals or more.
Let us take a look at Indian players who have scored 10 or more goals in the league in the last 26 years.
Competition | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
NFL 1996/97 | Bhaichung Bhutia | JCT | 14 |
NFL 1997/98 | Raman Vijayan | FC Kochin | 10 |
NFL 1999/00 | Francis Silveira | Dempo | 10 |
NFL 2000/01 | RC Prakash | Mohun Bagan | 10 |
NFL 2002/03 | Ashim Biswas | Tollygunge Agragami | 11 |
NFL 2003/04 | Bhaichung Bhutia | East Bengal | 12 |
NFL 2005/06 | Bhaichung Bhutia | East Bengal | 12 |
NFL 2006/07 | Sunil Chhetri | JCT | 12 |
I-League 2007/08 | Bhaichung Bhutia | Mohun Bagan | 10 |
I-League 2009/10 | Mohammed Rafi | Mahindra United | 14 |
I-League 2010/11 | Jeje Lalpekhlua | Indian Arrows | 13 |
I-League 2010/11 | Anil Kumar | Chirag United Kerala | 10 |
I-League 2013/14 | Sunil Chhetri | Bengaluru FC | 14 |
I-League 2013/14 | Balwant Singh | Churchill Brothers | 10 |
I-League 2020/21 | Bidyasagar Singh | TRAU FC | 12 |
ISL 2017/18 | Sunil Chhetri | Bengaluru FC | 14 |