Indian senior men's team head coach Igor Stimac on Thursday announced his 27-member squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Kuwait on June 6. Initially, a 32-member squad had been training in Bhubaneswar, but Phurba Lachenpa, Parthib Gogoi, Imran Khan, Muhammad Hammad, and Jithin MS have been released from the camp.

Stimac had earlier named a 32-member list that had been training in Bhubaneswar, out of which goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa, defender Muhammad Hammad and forwards Parthib Gogoi, Imran Khan, and Jithin MS have been released from the camp.

"All of them were very professional and hard-working. The competition is really strong amongst them, especially in the positions of Jithin and Parthib. Parthib and Hammad suffered minor injuries a few days back and will need 7-14 days of rest," Stimac was quoted as saying as per the-aiff.com. 

Forwards Edmund Lalrindika and David Lalhlansanga are two surprise inclusions in the list with the duo having impressed in the I-League 2023-24 season. 

The 27 players will continue their training in Bhubaneswar until May 29, when they will travel to Kolkata. The Blue Tigers are set to face Kuwait at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on June 6 before heading to Qatar to play their final Group A match on June 11.

India had earlier faced a 2-1 defeat to Afghanistan at home in March and they will be looking to get their campaign back on track.

Currently placed second in their group with four points from four matches, India are aiming to secure a top-two finish to qualify for Round 3 of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and earn a spot at the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.

Here is India's 27-member squad for the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Kuwait:

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

Defenders: Amey Ranawade, Anwar Ali, Jay Gupta, Lalchungnunga, Mehtab Singh, Narender Gahlot, Nikhil Poojary, Rahul Bheke, Subhasish Bose.

Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Edmund Lalrindika, Jeakson Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Liston Colaco, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Nandhakumar Sekar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam.

Forwards: David Lalhlansanga, Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali, Sunil Chhetri, Vikram Partap Singh.