Merdeka Cup 2023: Igor Stimac names provisional 26-man India squad

Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach Igor Stimac, on Friday, September 29,2023, named a list of 26 probables for the Merdeka Cup 2023, to be played in Malaysia from October 13-17.

FILE PHOTO: India’s Sunil Chhetri (11-orange) in action against Kuwait during the final football match of SAFF Championship 2023 at Kanteerava Stadium, in Bengaluru on July 4, 2023. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K / The Hindu

India football men’s team head coach Igor Stimac, on Friday, named a provisional 26-man India squad for the Merdeka Cup 2023, to be played in Malaysia from October 13-17.

The Merdeka Cup 2023 will be a four-team affair with hosts Malaysia, Palestine and Tajikistan being the other teams and it will be played on a knockout basis.

India will take on host Malaysia in the second semifinal on October 13.

Palestine and Tajikistan will cross swords in the first semifinal earlier on the same day.

October 17 has been kept as the day for the final and also for the third-placed match, which will be played between the two losing semifinalists.

The final list of 23 players, who will travel to Malaysia, will be announced in the second week of October.

India provisional 26-man squad

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith and Dheeraj Singh.

Defenders: Nikhil Poojari, Roshan Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Mehtab Singh, Lalchungnunga, Akash Mishra and Subhashish Bose.

Midfielders: Jeakson Singh, Suresh Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Rohit Kumar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Brandon Fernandes, Lalianzuala Chhangte, Udanta Singh, Vikram Pratap Singh, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Liston Colaco and Nandhakumar Sekar.

Forwards: Sunil Chhetri and Manvir Singh.

Head Coach: Igor Stimac