AFC Cup 2021 -- Bengaluru FC release squad for preliminary rounds

Bengaluru FC, on Thursday, announced their 29-man squad for the qualifiers of the 2021 AFC Cup, which begin with a Preliminary Stage Two clash against Nepalese side Tribhuvan Army FC, on April 14. As many as five Reserve team players have graduated, as Head Coach Marco Pezzaiuoli prepares for his first game in charge of the Blues.

The graduates from the club’s reserve side include goalkeeper Sharon Padattil, midfielders Damaitphang Lyngdoh and Muhammad Inayath, as well as strikers Akashdeep Singh and Sivasakthi Narayanan, who finished as top scorer in the Blues’ BDFA Super Division League campaign.

Gabonese defender Yrondu Musavu-King is the newest addition to the Blues’ foreign contingent, as he joins Juanan Gonzalez, Cleiton Silva and Erik Paartalu in the squad for the qualifying campaign. Skipper Sunil Chhetri will lead the side into a seventh season of continental football, with the 36-year-old having joined the side in Goa where preparations for the campaign are well underway.

The Blues’ Preliminary Stage Two clash against Tribhuvan Army FC kicks off at the GMC Stadium, in Bambolim, on April 14 and will be held behind closed doors.

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Lalthuammawia Ralte, Lara Sharma, Sharon Padattil

Defenders: Rahul Bheke, Pratik Chaudhari, Juan Gonzalez, Wungngayam Muirang, Ajith Kumar, Ashique Kuruniyan, Joe Zoherliana, Parag Shrivas, Yrondu Musavu-King, Biswa Darjee

Midfielders: Erik Paartalu, Suresh Wangjam, Harmanjot Khabra, Namgyal Bhutia, Emanuel Lalchhanchuaha, Damaitphang Lyngdoh, Muhammad Inayath

Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Edmund Lalrindika, Udanta Singh, Cleiton Silva, Leon Augustine, Naorem Roshan Singh, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Akashdeep Singh

BFC Media Release