New Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac on Thursday announced his list of 37 probables for India’s preparatory camp for the Kings Cup slated to be held in Buriram, Thailand from June 5-8 this year.
The preparatory camp will be held in New Delhi from May 20.
The list includes majorly includes players who had a fruitful season in the 2018-’19 Indian Super League season such as Brandon Fernandes, Rahul Bheke, Michael Soosairaj and many others.
Striker Jeje Lalpekhlua who is likely to be operated in the third week of May wasn’t considered for the camp, as were a host of other players like Halicharan Narzary (knee injury), Mandar Rao Desai (hamstring injury), Ashique Kuruniyan (knee injury), Narender Gehlot (knee injury), and Jerry Lalrinzuala.
Stimac said: “I respected the choice of the squad which represented India in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019. The rest of the players have been added post my research watching Hero I-League and Hero ISL matches. I found some players quite interesting, and have summoned them to the camp.”
“I congratulate all the players, and wish them good luck,” he added.
“I am eagerly waiting to land in New Delhi, and get on the task immediately. I have always cherished new challenges, and I am looking forward to coaching the Blue Tigers.”
The Kings Cup will be followed by the Intercontinental Cup in July.
Stimac, who succeeded Stephen Constantine, was the national coach of the Croatia team and helped it qualify for the Fifa World Cup in 2014 and has 18 years of experience as coach, scout and manager. His previous assignment was with Al-Shahania Club in Qatar.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith, Amrinder Singh, Kamaljit Singh
Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Nishu Kumar, Rahul Bheke, Salam Ranjan Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Adil Khan, Anwar Ali, Subhasish Bose, Narayan Das.
Midfielders: Udanta Singh, Jackichand Singh, Brandon Fernandes, Anirudh Thapa, Raynier Fernandes, Bikramjit Singh, Dhanpal Ganesh, Pronay Halder, Rowllin Borges, Germanpreet Singh, Vinit Rai, Sahal Abdul, Amarjit Singh, Redeem Tlang, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Nandha Kumar, Komal Thatal, Michael Soosairaj.
Forwards: Balwant Singh, Sunil Chhetri, Jobby Justin, Sumeet Passi, Farukh Choudhary, Manvir Singh.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!