Mumbai, Feb 5 (IANS): Bengaluru FC striker Sivasakthi Narayanan has been awarded the Emerging Player of the Month for January 2023 for his spectacular performances across his sides four wins in January.

The youngster was a pivotal figure in each of the Blues' four wins, registering four goals and one assist in the process. Sivasakthi fought his way into the starting lineup under head coach Simon Grayson and since then, has been reaping rewards with his goal contributions.

Currently, on a four-game winning streak, his side has leapfrogged into the sixth position, in contention for the playoffs berth alongside Odisha FC who share the same number of points.

Nine out of 15 experts chose Sivasakthi as the top pick. In second position was Chennaiyin FC's Vincy Barretto who was picked out by one expert as their first choice, the Indian Super League (ISL) informed in a tweet on Sunday.

The forward has caused a stir in the Bengaluru FC attack ever since he made it into the starting eleven, becoming the joint-top scorer for the club with four goals, alongside midfielder Javier Hernandez, said a report on the ISL website.

Rising through the ranks from the 'B' division of Bengaluru FC, the 21-year-old was the top scorer for Bengaluru FC in their Durand Cup title triumph and has become a central asset in the attacking lineup alongside veterans Sunil Chhetri and Roy Krishna.

Narayanan has become the fourth recipient of this award after Mumbai City FC's Mehtab Singh (October), East Bengal FC's Naorem Mahesh Singh (November), and Mumbai City FC's Apuia (December).