Punjab FC's Madih Talal named February's Player of the Month

NEW DELHI: Punjab FC midfielder Madih Talal has been rewarded with the Indian Super League (ISL) Player of the Month award for February 2024, in recognition of his outstanding performance throughout the month.

The selection process for this accolade is split between fan votes, contributing 50% of the total vote share, and expert votes determining the remaining 50%. The voting period for the February 2024 Player of the Month ran from March 7, 12:30 PM, to March 11, 12:30 PM.

Talal secured just 4% of the fan votes, while Dimitri Petratos led the pack with 48%. Following closely were Tomi Juric with 19%, Subhasish Bose with 9%, Jeremy Manzorro with 8%, Vikram Partap Singh with 6%, and Roy Krishna also at 4%.

However, the French playmaker secured a dominant position with the expert votes, earning five out of eight votes from the expert panel, while Manzorro received two votes and Juric received one.

Talal has developed himself into one of the most effective players in the ISL at Punjab FC, orchestrating the offensive force of Punjab FC, which resulted in the uprise of his side in the points table. He created the second-highest number of chances (14) for the month and made 86 entries in the final third.

The 26-year-old found the net twice and provided three assists, tying for the most assists in February, across four games, significantly contributing to Staikos Vergetis' side's victories over Bengaluru FC, Kerala Blasters FC, and Hyderabad FC.

He showcased his dual-threat capability by scoring a goal and providing an assist in pivotal victories against Bengaluru (3-1) and Hyderabad FC (2-0), while also contributing with an assist in their remarkable 3-1 away triumph in Kochi.