Stimac picks final 23-man India squad for King's Cup
Newly-appointed Indian national football team head coach Igor Stimac has picked his final 23-member squad for the upcoming King's Cup in Thailand which begins from June 5.


Newly-appointed Indian national football team head coach Igor Stimac has picked his final 23-member squad for the upcoming King's Cup in Thailand which begins from June 5. The All India Football Federation (AIFF), on Saturday, announced the final list on Twitter.
The 23-man Indian team 🇮🇳 for the #KingsCup 2019 in Thailand has been finalised, with Nishu Kumar and Jobby Justin being the last two players released. (1/4)#IndianFootball #BackTheBlue #BlueTigers
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 1, 2019
The Croatian drew up the shortlist after overseeing a preparatory camp in New Delhi involving 37 probables. Stimac trimmed the roster down to 31 back on May 27 and an additional six players were released on May 30. Amongst the remaining 25-member list, Stimac opted to leave out striker Jobby Justin and defender Nishu Kumar from the final squad.
The former Croatia international's first-ever India squad includes the usual suspects like Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Udanta Singh, Pronay Halder and others, but also includes some new faces like Michael Soosairaj, Rahul Bheke, Sahal Abdul Samad, Amarjit Singh and Raynier Fernandes. FC Goa's Brandon Fernandes, too, found a spot in the touring team.
The squad will fly out for Buriram, Thailand, on June 2 and are slated to play the opening match of the tournament against Curacao on June 5. The other match later on the same day will involve hosts Thailand and reigning ASEAN champions Vietnam. The winners of the two matches will face off in the final on June 8, while the sides which lose in the first matchday will lock horns in a third-place playoff on the same date.
Here's the final 23-man list:
GOALKEEPERS: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Kamaljit Singh
DEFENDERS: Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Adil Khan, Subhasish Bose
MIDFIELDERS: Udanta Singh, Jackichand Singh, Brandon Fernandes, Anirudh Thapa, Raynier Fernandes, Pronay Halder, Vinit Rai, Sahal Abdul Samad, Amarjit Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Michael Soosairaj
FORWARDS: Balwant Singh, Sunil Chhetri, Farukh Choudhary, Manvir Singh