India will send a second-string squad to Dhaka for the SAFF Championship, with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) naming 28 players on October 30 to defend a title won in 2023. The tournament runs from November 5 to 17 in Dhaka.
The senior side are away in New Zealand, where they play friendlies in Auckland and Christchurch over the same period, so the federation has built a Dhaka group heavy on Under-23 players, supplemented by a handful of seasoned names from the senior pool.
Six players from the squad named for games against Panama, Brazil and Uruguay in September and October made the cut: Bijoy Varghese, Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Farukh Choudhary, Macarton Nickson, Ricky John Shabong and Irfan Yadwad. Reserves Chinglensana Singh Konsham and Suresh Singh Wangjam are also included.
Under-23 head coach Naushad Moosa will lead the team, assisted by Bibiano Fernandes, who recently coached India’s Under-15 side at the FIFA Under-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan. Eighteen players fly from Kolkata on November 3, with ten more joining after club clearance.
India sit in Group B with the Maldives and Pakistan and open their defence against Pakistan on November 5, before meeting the Maldives on November 11. Hosts Bangladesh are in Group A alongside Sri Lanka and Bhutan. Top two from each group advance.
The semi-finals follow on November 14, with the final on November 17, all at the National Stadium. India lifted the last title in Bengaluru in 2023, beating Kuwait in the final, and will hope their young group can repeat the feat.
India squad
Goalkeepers: Arsh Anwar Sheikh, Mohanraj K, Priyansh Dubey
Defenders: Abdul Rabih, Bijoy Varghese, Chinglensana Singh Konsham, Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Khaiminthang Lungdim, Mohammed Uvais, Nathan Rodrigues, Ronnie Kharbudon, Sandeep Mandi
Midfielders: Abhishek Suryavanshi, Addison Singh Thokchom, Bryson Fernandes, Ebindas Yesudasan, Farukh Choudhary, Macarton Nickson, Manglenthang Kipgen, Nikhil Prabhu, Noufal PN, Ricky John Shabong, Suresh Singh Wangjam
Forwards: Irfan Yadwad, Liston Colaco, Mohammed Suhail, Vishnu PV, Suhail Ahmed Bhat