Guwahati (Assam)[India], July 29 : Nepal’s Tribhuvan Army Football Club landed in Guwahati to participate in the 132nd Durand Cup 2023 and were accorded a grand ceremonial welcome at a five-star city hotel upon arrival.
The 42-member squad is headed by Lt Col Basanta Raj Gurung (Retd) and will be captained by seasoned international Nawayug Shrestha, who has eight career goals for Nepal in 43 internationals.
The squad was airlifted by an Indian Air Force plane from their base in Nepal and brought to Guwahati, from there they will move to Kokrajhar to play their first game at the newly built SAI stadium, against newly promoted I-League (Indian second division) side Delhi FC on August 09, 2023.
They find themselves in Group E, alongside strong Indian Super League (ISL) sides Hyderabad FC and Chennaiyin FC, besides Delhi FC. The winners of each of the six groups of this year’s Durand Cup go through to the last eight along with the two best second-placed sides.
Speaking on arrival, Nawayug Shrestha said, “It is a great honour for us to participate in this prestigious tournament and we look forward to give our best.”
After the opening ceremony and first game between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Bangladesh Army Football Team on August 3, 2023, at Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK), action shifts to Guwahati, where local ISL side North East United FC take on Shillong Lajong FC in what will be the North-East Derby. That game will be the first of the Group D matches.
The Nepal side will also shift back to Guwahati after their first game, as all their next fixtures thereafter are scheduled at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, as are the majority of the Group D and E games.
The 132nd Durand Cup 2023 will be live on the Sony Sports Ten 2 channels as well as live stream on SonyLIV. The scheduled kick-off is at 5.45 pm Indian Standard Time (IST).
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