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What's the story?
New signings Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Anas Edathodika, Seiminlen Doungel, Halicharan Narzary and Keziron Kizito, among others, have been named in Kerala Blasters' squad for the upcoming Toyota Yaris LaLiga World tournament to be held in Kochi, India that will kick off on 24th July, 2018.
The Indian Super League (ISL) side announced a 31-member strong squad for the pre-season tournament which will see them taking on La Liga side Girona FC and A-League club Melbourne City FC on Wednesday.
Also read: Toyota Yaris LaLiga World: A star-studded Girona FC squad to visit Kochi
In case you didn't know...
The Toyota Yaris LaLiga World tournament will see India hosting its first ever pre-season friendly tournament involving foreign clubs.
Vivek Sethia, CEO, India On Track, a partner promoter of the tournament, had previously told Sportskeeda, "This will be a historic tournament. I think this will open doors for many international teams to start looking at India as a footballing destination."
The heart of the matter
Kerala Blasters finished sixth in the ISL last season before crashing out in the first round of the inaugural edition of the Super Cup. Moreover, they have been weakened by the outgoing transfer of star forward Iain Hume ahead of the new season.
However, with several new signings in the form of Dheeraj, Slavisa Stojanovic, Len Doungel, Anas, Halicharan and others, they will be looking to turn a new leaf.
Also read: Toyota Yaris LaLiga World: A-League side Melbourne City FC announce squad for India tour
The squad for the upcoming pre-season tournament features all the star players such as, Courage Pekuson, Sandesh Jhingan and CK Vineeth, as well as youngsters like Deependra Singh Negi and Jithin MS, who showed promise last season.
Here is the full squad:
What's next?
Kerala Blasters will take on Melbourne City in the tournament opener on 24th July at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi following which they will face Girona FC on 28th July. David James will hope that his team regains match fitness ahead of the fifth season of the ISL.
How will Kerala Blasters line up against Melbourne City in the opener? Will Dheeraj feature in between the sticks?
Do let us know what you think in the comments below.
