Sunil Chhetri to lead Bengaluru FC in AFC Cup, Dimas Delgado misses out

Indian Super League (ISL) side Bengaluru FC on Thursday named their 29-man squad for the preliminary stage two of the 2021 AFC Cup.

Bengaluru FC will lock horns with Nepalese side Tribhuvan Army FC on April 14. Five reserve team players have also been included in the squad as head coach Marco Pezzaiuoli prepares for his first game in charge of the Blues.

"Skipper Sunil Chhetri will lead the side into the 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 club said in an official statement.

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.

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.

Meanwhile, Spsh footballer Dimas Delgado wasn't named in the squad and the midfielder expressed disappointment on not being included in the side.

"Feeling sad to not make in the final list to play the AFC Cup. Since we started preparing, I pushed myself hard to make it, but the club has taken the decision to not pick me, and it's one I respect," Delgado tweeted.

"As always I'll be cheering and supporting my teammates and wishing them all the best for the upcoming games," he added.

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.

The squad: 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

Head Coach: Marco Pezzaiuoli

Assistant Coach: Naushad Moosa

( With inputs from ANI )

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