Head Coach of the Indian football team Igor Stimac has named India’s squad for the Hero Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championship, which will be taking place this year.
Initially, Igor Stimac had picked a 41-man squad and now he has brought it down. Notably, the AFC Asian Cup will be taking place in Qatar in January and these tournaments will be serving as a perfect preparation.
Some of the notable names who have been left out of the squad due to injuries include Glan Martins, Vishal Kaith, Manvir Singh and Yasir Mohammad. A total of 27 players have been selected for these upcoming tournaments.
While the Hero Intercontinental Cup will be taking place from 9th June 2023 to 18th June 2023, the SAFF Championship will be taking place from 21st June 2023 to 4th July 2023.
There were 41 players in the camp in Bhubaneswar when the Intercontinental Cup was scheduled to begin on May 16.
After many rounds of medical and physical examinations, the final roster for the Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championship was reduced to 27 players. Most of these players have done well in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 and would be brimming with confidence.
After the Hero Intercontinental Cup gets over, the action will shift to the SAFF Championship. India’s base for the SAFF Championship will be Bengaluru.
India won the Hero Tri-Nation Series in March 2023
After beating Myanmar 1-0 in the Hero Tri-Nation Series 2023, India also beat Kyrgyzstan 2-0, to bag the honours in the Hero Tri-Nation Series.
Anirudh Thapa had scored the goal for India versus Myanmar. In the game against Kyrgyzstan, Sandesh Jhingan and Sunil Chhetri had scored the goal for India.
Lallianzuala Chhangte had bagged the player of the tournament award. Both the goalkeepers of India in the form of Amrinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu had won the Best Goalkeeper award in this tournament.
Sunil Chhetri will be leading the Indian team for the Hero Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championship.
India’s Squad for Hero Intercontinental Cup and SAFF Championship
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh and Phurba Lachenpa Tempa.
Defenders: Subhasish Bose, Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Akash Mishra, Mehtab Singh and Rahul Bheke.
Midfielders: Liston Colaco, Ashique Kuruniyan, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Rohit Kumar, Udanta Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Jeakson Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Lalengmawia Ralte, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Rowllin Borges and Nandha Kumar.
Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Rahim Ali and Ishan Pandita.
Also read: Hero Tri-Nation Series 2023: Highlights, Winners, Goal Scorers, Know All
