After a long tussle, Kerala Blasters have won the race for Indian forward Ishan Pandita who joins the club on a two-year contract that will keep him at the club till the end of the 2024-25 season.
The youngster comes with a lot of promise and potential to lead the lines for the Blasters. His tenacity and his eye for goals made him a very attractive player in the transfer market as several other clubs were eyeing him. However, the Blasters have secured his services.
Pandita started his career while playing for BDCA Division A state league in Bengaluru. He then moved to Spain in 2014 at the age of 16. He joined the youth team of Alcobendas prior to plying his trade for the youth teams of La Liga clubs UD Almeria and CD Leganes.
He returned to India in 2020 to join FC Goa and scored four goals in 11 appearances and most of them were crucial game-winning or game-tying goals. Before making the move to Kerala, he spent two seasons with Jamshedpur FC and won the ISL Shield in 2022.
The 25-year-old has scored 10 goals in over 50 appearances across various competitions like ISL, Super Cup and AFC Champions League. His impressive performances earned him a maiden national call-up in 2021 and since then he has featured for India six times scoring a solitary goal.
Kerala Blasters Sporting Director Karolis Skynkis was very happy with the signing as he believes in Pandita’s abilities completely and feels that he can make an impact in any contest. “Ishan is someone who we believe has the ability to impact the game with his presence and physicality and change the course of any contest. The timing now is correct as we aim to compete for titles and for this, we need players with mentality and hunger like Ishan’s. He has to continue working hard and success will follow. I wish him the best of luck on the signing,” Skynkis stated.
Pandita expressed his gratitude to the Kerala Blasters management for showing trust in his abilities and feels that he has taken a big step forward in his career. “Delighted to become a part of one of the most passionate and beloved clubs in the whole of India. I am very pleased that the think tank at KBFC showed trust in my skill and ability as a player. It was a very long transfer window for me personally but I’m sure I made the right decision. I can’t wait to don the iconic yellow jersey and give it my all to the fans and the club,” Pandita expressed after putting pen to paper.
