What’s the story?
The squad for Mohun Bagan’s 2017 I-League campaign has been released as they look to regain the title they won in 2014 when the I-League begins on 7 January. Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen has been able to retain most of his squad including Haitian forward Sony Norde and Indian striking sensation Jeje Lalpekhlua for the new season of the I-League.
The I-League features 10 teams this season with new teams in Chennai City and Minerva Punjab competing for glory. However, Mohun Bagan have one of the strongest squads around with important reinforcements brought in by the club.
In case you didn’t know…
Mohun Bagan are one of the most successful clubs in Indian football and have won the National Football League (NFL) thrice before it was rechristened as the I-League in 2007 . After spending the first few years in futility, the Green and Maroons were champions in the 2014-15 season with Sanjoy Sen at the helm.
Last season, the Kolkata-based club finished runners-up just two points behind Bengaluru FC in a season which was marred by injuries for Sanjoy Sen’s men.
Sanjoy Sen has breathed a fresh life to the Green and Maroon Brigade since his appointment in 2014. Mohun Bagan, who spent quite a few seasons in mediocrity finally have been contenders for the league for the past two seasons and are the same this season too.
Heart of the Matter
Mohun Bagan have brought in crucial reinforcements as well as let go of some of the players for this season’s I-League. Whilst they lost out on Lenny Rodriguez, they were able to bring back Sehnaj Singh and lure in Anas Edathodika.
They will also hope that Darryl Duffy will be able to do much much better than Cornell Glen. Meanwhile, at the back, they have replaced the underperforming Luciano Sabrosa with FC Pune City star Eduardo Ferreira.
The full squad of Mohun Bagan for this I-league season is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Debjit Majumder, Shilton Paul, Pawan Kumar, Shibinraj K
Defenders: Sarthak Golui, Eduardo, Raju Gaikwad, Anas Edathodika, Haroon Fakhruddin, Shouvik Ghosh, Pritam Kotal, Prabir Das, Kingshuk Debnath, Avinabo Bag, Sanjay Balmuchu, Subhashish Bose
Midfielders: Katsumi Yusa, Souvik Chakraborty, Bikramjit Singh, Pronay Halder, Sehnaj Singh, Kean Lewis, Sony Norde, Pankaj Moula, Robinson Singh, Sourav Das
Attackers: Darryl Duffy, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Balwant Singh, Azharuddin Mallick, Subhash Singh
What Next?
Mohun Bagan will look forward to their stability bearing fruit this season. With the core intact, the Mariners will hope they will also see the rise in some of their youngsters. Whilst Kean Lewis and Prabir Das, they will also look to Azharuddin Mallick to take the next step after impressing in the Calcutta Football League.
The inclusion of Eduardo is sure to boost up the defence as well as Bagan look to regain the title they won in 2014.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Mohun Bagan have one of the best squads to boast of in the I-League. Their depth in both attack and midfield is worth taking note of for their rivals. Despite coming under huge criticism, Sanjoy Sen is one of the best managers in Indian football at the moment.
If he improves on certain aspects and maintains the attacking brand of football Mohun Bagan are playing for the past couple of seasons, the Green and Maroons will surely be up there challenging for the title.
