On Monday, the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) defending champions Chennaiyin FC announced their 25-member squad for the 2018-19 season. However, the name of their efficient midfielder Dhanpal Ganesh was missing from the list, as the 27-year-old has been sidelined due to a knee injury.

Ganesh was a part of Chennayin’s setup in both Hero ISL 2015 and 2016, but failed to feature in a single game for them. However, he managed to turn the tables in the 2017-18 season, becoming one of the mainstays for the Marina Machans in the middle of the park, aiding both in defence and attack. Not only did he feature in 18 matches for the champions, but also scored two goals.

The Chennai-born player has a tremendous work rate and will definitely be missed by head coach John Gregory and the club at the start of the season. Another midfielder, Zonunmawia has been announced in the place of Ganesh. The youngster was a part of Chennaiyin’s reserve squad and will make his Hero ISL debut with the senior team in the 2018-19 edition.