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Bengaluru FC announced their 25-member squad for the Durand Cup on Monday ahead of the start of the 131st edition of the tournament. A revamped squad consisting of eight new signings made this year is set to feature this time around.
Versatile wing-back Naorem Roshan Singh and forward Bidyasagar Singh will not be a part of the Blues' squad for the competition. However, Hira Mondal, who shone for SC East Bengal, will turn up for the team.
Prabir Das, Roy Krishna and Javier Hernandez, who have been stars for ATK Mohun Bagan in the past, have been included in the squad alongside national team centre-back Sandesh Jhingan. Former Mohammedan SC winger Faisal Ali, who made a name for himself last season, will also be a part of the squad.
The Blues are scheduled to start their 2022 Durand Cup campaign against Jamshedpur FC at Kishore Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. Simon Grayson's side are pitted against defending champions FC Goa, Mohammedan SC, Jamshedpur FC and Indian Air Force in Group A.
Bengaluru FC topped their group and made it to the semi-finals of the previous edition of the tournament, having lost to eventual winners FC Goa in the penalty shootout.
The Blues have already landed in the City of Joy ahead of the start of the tournament. Head coach Simon Grayson, in a press conference held on Sunday (August 14), underlined his plans for their Durand Cup campaign, saying:
"We want to win it [Durand Cup] as every other club does. We want to start getting trophies back into this football club again whether it's in a pre-season tournament, which is steeped in fantastic history and tradition. It's still part of our pre-season planning, so a lot of time will be spent on the training pitch to get ready for the start of the ISL season."
Bengaluru FC squad for Durand Cup 2022
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Lara Sharma, Amrit Gope
Defenders: Alan Costa, Namgyal Bhutia, Parag Shrivas, Wungngayam Muirang, Prabir Das, Hira Mondal, Sandesh Jhingan, Aleksandar Jovanovic
Midfielders: Bruno Ramires, Jayesh Rane, Suresh Wangjam, Danish Farooq, Rohit Kumar, Biswa Darjee, Javi Hernandez
Strikers: Sunil Chhetri (C), Prince Ibara, Udanta Singh, Sivasakthi Narayanan, Leon Augustine, Roy Krishna, Faisal Ali
