India, Oct. 23 -- There are clubs that spend like Real Madrid and Barcelona and there are others who try to be competitive. After three years in India and at the beginning of his journey with FC Goa, that was how Manolo Marquez evaluated the Indian Super League (ISL). For Marquez, Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Mumbai City FC were the top dogs.

Things have changed since. Marquez is the head coach at Mumbai this term but the club aren't among the heaviest spenders. Mohun Bagan retain that tag with Bengaluru FC and East Bengal being the others who have loosened purse strings more than most. When Marquez made the comment, East Bengal were near or at the bottom of the standings. They went into this season as defending champions and India's only...