Head coach Igor Stimac initially called a 27-member squad for the Indian men’s national team set to participate in the Hero Intercontinental Cup and SAFF Championship tournaments in June. However, it was cut down to 25 after injuries to midfielder Suresh Singh and goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa Tempa in the main team. The Blue Tigers are having their camp in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha from May where the Intercontinental Cup will be held from 9 June 2023 before travelling to Bengaluru for the SAFF Championship starting on the 21st of the same month. These tournaments are part of the preparation for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar to be played in January 2024.
National Team Squad
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh
Defenders: Subhasish Bose, Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Akash Mishra, Mehtab Singh and Rahul Bheke.
Midfielders: Liston Colaco, Ashique Kuruniyan, 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.
Head Coach: Igor Stimac.
Two days of rigorous medical tests were done at the camp and after releasing several players from the provisional squad due to injuries, the final list has been called. Vishal Kaith, Manvir Singh, Yasir Mohammad, Glan Martins, and Roshan Singh left the camp for the same reason. Later, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Suresh Singh and Phurba also joined them. Chinglensana and Brandon Fernandes also dropped out for personal reasons while Asish Rai, Narender Gahlot, Rahul KP, Bipin Singh, Vikram Partap Sing and Jerry Mawihmingthanga did not make the final list. Nandha Kumar is the only uncapped player in the squad hoping to make his debut in the Intercontinental Cup.
Hero Intercontinental Cup
The Hero Intercontinental Cup makes a comeback after four years with India set to face Mongolia, Vanuatu and Lebanon in the competition. For more info check Hero Intercontinental Cup 2023 Fixtures
SAFF Championship 2023
India will host the 14th edition of the SAFF Championship in Bengaluru shortly after the conclusion of the Hero Intercontinental Cup. For more info check India learns their opponents in SAFF Championship 2023 and SAFF Championship 2023 India Draw: Groups & Fixtures
AFC Asian Cup 2023
The Blue Tigers will play two more tournament in abroad and the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers before heading to Qatar for the Asian Cup in June. Know their opponent in the tournament.
