No Chhetri in Jamil’s 23 for Bangladesh clash

India’s long-serving football captain Sunil Chhetri has been left out of the 23 probables named by head coach Khalid Jamil for the upcoming Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh, to be played in Dhaka on November 18.

The omission, though not entirely unexpected, comes as India are already out of contention for a berth in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. The team’s campaign effectively ended after a 1-2 defeat to Singapore in Margao last month.

While Chhetri had earlier come out of retirement to aid India’s qualification push, his name missing from the current list suggests that the veteran striker may not be part of Jamil’s future plans at least for now. Sources, however, indicated that the squad may still be expanded when the national camp begins in Bengaluru on Thursday.

“It’s unclear whether more names, including Chhetri’s, could be added later. But with India’s qualification hopes over, the focus appears to be on giving younger players exposure,” said an AIFF insider.

Among the notable inclusions is Mohammed Sanan, who was initially called up for the India U-23 side earlier this week but will now train with the senior team. The team will depart for Dhaka on November 15, during the FIFA international window (Nov 10–18).

Super Cup semifinals likely after November 26

In another development, the Super Cup semifinals are unlikely to be held before November 26, as FC Goa are set to play Al Zawraa SC (Iraq) in an AFC Champions League Two group match in Baghdad on that date.

“Since FC Goa are in the Super Cup semifinals and have to travel to Iraq for the ACL 2 match, it’s impossible to schedule the semifinals earlier,” an AIFF official said.

The federation had earlier released the group-stage schedule, which ends on November 6, but has yet to confirm the knockout stage dates.

The 23 probables

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Hrithik Tiwari, Sahil.

Defenders: Akash Mishra, Anwar Ali, Bikash Yumnam, Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Muhammed Uvais, Pramveer, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan.

Midfielders: Ashique Kuruniyan, Brison Fernandes, Lalremtluanga Fanai, Macarton Louis Nickson, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Nikhil Prabhu, Suresh Singh Wangjam. Forwards: Irfan Yadwad, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Mohammed Sanan, Rahim Ali, Vikram Partap Singh.