The emergence of Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia over the last two domestic seasons has brought a renewed urgency and clarity to that discussion.
India’s long-standing dependence on a singular attacking focal point has shaped its footballing identity for over a decade. As the country prepares to transition into a phase beyond the influence of its most iconic modern striker, the conversation surrounding who leads the line next is no longer theoretical it is structural.
At the centre of his candidacy lies a landmark statistical breakthrough. During the 2023–24 I-League season with Aizawl FC, Lalrinzuala scored 15 goals in just 18 appearances, surpassing the long-standing domestic single-season record jointly held by Sunil Chhetri and Mohammed Rafi. More notably, this return came with a goals-per-game ratio of 0.83 a level of finishing efficiency rarely seen from Indian strikers operating in leagues historically dominated by foreign forwards.
Importantly, this was not a solitary spike in output. He followed it up with another double-digit campaign in 2024–25, registering 12 goals in 20 appearances. The sustained nature of this productivity indicated an adaptability across varied defensive setups, including matches against both title contenders and relegation-threatened sides.
However, evaluating Lalrinzuala purely through statistical output would present an incomplete picture. His developmental trajectory reflects both psychological resilience and physical recovery factors that are increasingly central to elite performance pathways. Having lost both his father and elder brother at a young age, Lalrinzuala funded his own trials through manual labour before entering the Bengaluru FC academy system in 2017.
An ACL injury in 2018 then forced an 11-month rehabilitation period, often considered career-threatening for acceleration-dependent forwards.
His eventual return through the Gokulam Kerala reserves and later Chhinga Veng FC in the Mizoram Premier League provided the competitive rhythm required before his breakout move to Aizawl FC in 2023 where he would go on to score 27 goals across two seasons.
From a technical standpoint, Lalrinzuala represents a stylistic divergence rather than a direct continuation of India’s traditional centre-forward archetype. At 1.71 metres, he shares a similar low centre of gravity with Chhetri, yet his functional profile aligns more closely with that of a vertical poacher. Unlike his predecessor, whose later years were marked by frequent drops into the Number 10 space to facilitate build-up play, Lalrinzuala operates almost exclusively on the last defensive line.
His primary strength lies in off-the-shoulder movement exploiting channels between centre-backs and fullbacks during transition phases. A high percentage of his goals in the 2023–24 campaign were generated from vertical through balls and cutbacks, where anticipation and first-touch control allowed him to reach deliveries ahead of physically larger defenders.
This positional discipline is complemented by an expanding finishing repertoire, including first-time strikes from crosses and penalty-taking reliability. Nonetheless, analysts have flagged his aerial ability as an area that may be tested at the continental level against physically dominant defensive units.
The urgency of integrating such a profile into the national setup is underscored by India’s offensive downturn following Chhetri’s initial retirement announcement in mid-2024. In five matches thereafter, India failed to record a victory and managed only three goals none from designated strikers prompting a temporary recall of the veteran forward in March 2025.
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Coaching philosophies during this period further complicated the transition process. Under Igor Stimac, I-League players were often overlooked due to perceived quality disparities with the ISL. Manolo Marquez similarly prioritised tactical familiarity during qualification windows, favouring experienced players over experimental inclusions.
The appointment of Khalid Jamil in August 2025 marked a shift in this paradigm. As a coach with extensive domestic league experience including Aizawl FC’s I-League-winning campaign in 2017 Jamil has expressed a preference for pragmatic, counter-attacking systems. Such an approach directly aligns with Lalrinzuala’s movement patterns and penalty-area instincts.
His transition to NorthEast United FC in the 2025–26 ISL season has since served as a critical litmus test. Introduced as a substitute against Bengaluru FC on February 22, 2026, Lalrinzuala equalised within four minutes of entering play, controlling a long delivery from Asheer Akhtar before finishing over Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. The strike provided early evidence of his ability to convert limited opportunities against top-tier opposition.
Within the current NEUFC forward unit, Lalrinzuala’s goal frequency stands at one every 46 minutes the highest among Indian attackers in the squad during the opening phase of the campaign.
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Yet, systemic barriers remain. ISL clubs traditionally rely on foreign strikers to lead attacking lines, often relegating domestic forwards to supporting roles. Financial constraints across several franchises in 2025–26, however, have reduced overseas recruitment potentially opening pathways for increased Indian participation in central attacking roles.
Medical history also introduces an element of risk. A failed transfer medical at Mohun Bagan Super Giant in 2024 highlighted lingering concerns regarding muscular strain post-ACL recovery. For a player reliant on short-burst acceleration, long-term durability will be closely monitored.
Ultimately, the notion of identifying a singular “replacement” for Sunil Chhetri may be strategically flawed. Lalrinzuala instead represents a functional successor one capable of addressing India’s immediate goal-scoring requirements while enabling tactical evolution away from a Chhetri-centric model.
As preparations continue toward the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualification cycle, his efficiency in domestic and early ISL appearances positions him as a logical candidate to lead India’s next attacking phase not as a replication of the past, but as a forward suited to the demands of a new tactical framework.
