Indian Striker Ishan Pandita to Play for Malappuram

Malappuram Football Club has announced the signing of striker Ishan Pandita, an Indian international and former Kerala Blasters player. The club has brought him on board to strengthen its attack for the remaining matches of the Super League Kerala. Pandita, a 27-year-old from Delhi, has prior experience playing in both the Indian Super League and the Spanish league. This is the first time this season Malappuram has signed a non-Malayali Indian player, besides its foreign recruits.

In the ISL, he has played for teams like FC Goa, Jamshedpur FC, and Kerala Blasters FC. For Goa, he scored 4 goals in 17 matches, while he netted 6 goals in 36 appearances for Jamshedpur. During his time with the Blasters, he scored 2 goals in 21 games. Ishan Pandita has also played for the Indian national team, earning 8 caps and scoring 1 goal for the senior side. His first international goal was against Hong Kong in the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. He was also part of the Indian team that won the Intercontinental Cup in 2023.

Ishan spent most of his youth career in Spain. He has played for several Spanish clubs, including Alcobendas, UD Almería, CD Leganés, Gimnàstic de Tarragona, Lorca FC, and Pobla de Mafumet. He is also the first Indian to have played for the youth team of a Spanish top-division club.