Stimac announces first list of probables minus MBSG and Mumbai City FC players

NEW DELHI — Indian senior men’s team head coach Igor Stimac, on Saturday announced his first list of 26 probables for the Bhubaneswar camp in preparation for the FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 matches against Kuwait and Qatar. The second list of probables will be announced in a few days.

Interestingly, the first list of probables do not have players from the Mohun Bagan Super Giants and Mumbai City FC as they will participate in today’s Indian Super League (ISL) final at Kolkata. Stimac may want to have a look at the fitness of the players of these two teams so that the fittest players can be added in the second list.

India will begin their training camp in the Odisha capital on May 10. The Blue Tigers will take on Kuwait in Kolkata on June 6 before travelling to face Qatar in Doha on June 11 in their last two matches of Group A. India are currently placed second in the group, with four points from four matches. The top two teams in the group will qualify for Round 3 of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and book their berth at the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027.

The first list of 26 probables for the Bhubaneswar camp:

Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

Defenders: Amey Ganesh Ranawade, Jay Gupta, Lalchungnunga, Muhammad Hammad, Narender, Nikhil Poojary, Roshan Singh Naorem.

Midfielders: Brandon Fernandes, Edmund Lalrindika, Imran Khan, Isak Vanlalruatfela, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Mohammad Yasir, Nandhakumar Sekar, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Vibin Mohanan.

Forwards: David Lalhlansanga, Jithin Madathil Subran, Lalrinzuala, Parthib Sundar Gogoi, Rahim Ali, Sunil Chhetri.