Chhetri opts out, maiden call-up for Chhungnunga
Igor Stimac, head coach of Indian Senior Men’s football team, announced the 23-men squad for 2023 King’s Cup. Which is to be held in Thailand from September 7 to 10. Captain Sunil Chhetri has opted out of the tournament as he is expecting his first child. East Bengal’s young Defender Lalchungnunga receives his maiden National team call-up.
In King’s Cup, only four teams participate. Each team competes against one team in a match (Semi-Final) determined by a draw. The winning teams advance to the finals, while the losing teams will face to face on third-place match.
India will face Iraq in Semi-Final on September 7 at 16:00 IST. Thailand will take on Lebanon in other Semi-Final on the same day. The Final will be played on September 10.
Amongst the participants, Iraq is the highest-ranked team. Iraq is ranked 70th, while India is ranked 99th. Lebanon is ranked 100th whereas the hosts, Thailand, rank 113th in FIFA Ranking.
India Squad for Kings Cup 2023
Head Coach: Igor Stimac
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Gurmeet Singh
Defenders: Asish Rai, Nikhil Poojary, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Mehtab Singh, Lalchungnunga, Akash Mishra, Subhasish Bose
Midfielders: Jeakson Singh, Suresh Wangjam, Brandon Fernandes, Sahal Abdul Samad, Anirudh Thapa, Rohit Kumar, Ashique Kuruniyan, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte
Forwards: Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali, Rahul KP
