Midhun to lead defending champion Kerala in Santosh Trophy

Goalkeeper V. Midhun, the 29-year-old from SBI, will lead the Kerala team in the Santosh Trophy. Kerala is in Group 2 in the championship’s preliminary stage which begins at the EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode, on December 26.

 Goalkeeper V. Midhun, the Kerala team captain for the Santosh Trophy National Football Championship. | Photo Credit: The Hindu

Goalkeeper V. Midhun, the 29-year-old from SBI, will lead the Kerala team in the Santosh Trophy. Kerala is in Group 2 in the championship’s preliminary stage which begins at the EMS Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode, on December 26.

Kerala, defending Santosh Trophy champion, will wear a very different look this time with 16 new faces. According to old timers, Kerala has not made so many changes to its Santosh Trophy team ever before. Almost half the team, and also the head coach P.B. Ramesh, is from KSEB

Santhosh trophy winning kerala team during a felicitation event oraganised by the Kerala Football Association in Kochi on Wednesday, May 4, 2022. | Photo Credit: Thulasi Kakkat/The Hindu

“Almost 90 per cent of the players from our last year’s champion team have joined I-League or ISL clubs,” said P. Anilkumar, the Kerala Football Association secretary, explaining the reason for so many changes.

This also shows how closely the Santosh Trophy is being watched by the big clubs though the championship itself will not feature any ISL or I-League players.

Ramco Cements, which has supported the Kerala Santosh Trophy team for the last six years, will continue to be the team’s sponsor. The partnership has offered some memorable moments for Kerala and Gopakumar, Ramco Cements’ GM-Marketing hoped that this association will carry the team to new heights.

The other teams in Group 2 are Mizoram, Jammu & Kashmir, Bihar, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh.

The full Kerala team for Santosh trophy

Goalkeepers: V. Midhun (Knr), P.A. Ajmal (Mlp), T.V. Alkeshraj (Tsr).

Defenders: M. Manoj, R. Shinu (both Tvm), K. Ameen (Mlp), Beljin Bolster (Tvm), U. Mohammed Salim (Mlp), Sachu Siby (Idk), Akhil J. Chandran (Ekm), J. Jeritto (Tvm).

Midfielders: Hrishidaath (Tsr), M. Rashid (Ksd), Gifty C. Garcious (Wyd), Nijo Gilbert, P. Ajeesh (both Tvm), Rizwan Ali (Ksd), Vishak Mohanan (Ekm), K.K. Abdhu Raheem (Mlp).

Forwards: M. Viknesh (Tvm), B. Naresh (Ekm), J. John Paul (Tvm). Officials: P.B. Ramesh (head coach, Klm), Bineesh Kiran (asst coach, Knr), K.K. Hameed (goalkeeping coach, Tsr), T.K.M. Mohammed Rafeek (manager, Ksd).