India will be without skipper Sunil Chhetri in the upcoming King’s Cup football tournament and leading the forward line in his absence will be Manvir Singh. Star striker Chhetri has been rested for the tournament so that he could be present for the birth of his first child. The four-nation tournament, which will be played in knockout format, will be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand from September 7-10. Chhetri will however be back in the Indian team for the Asian Games. India team head coach Igor Stimac on Tuesday announced a 23-member squad for the 49th edition of the tournament. Manvir will have Rahim Ali and Rahul KP for company upfront. Brandon Fernandes and Suresh Wangjam return to the national side, which looks quite balanced even in Chhetri’s absence.
The defence will be manned by seasoned campaigners Sandesh Jhingan and Subhasish Bose, while the midfield comprises proven players such as Anirudh Thapa, Roshan Naorem Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad and Brandon. Gurpreet Singh Sadhu or Amrinder Singh will be at the goal. India (ranked 99th) will face Iraq (ranked 70th) in the semi-final on September 7. Hosts Thailand (ranked 113th) take on Lebanon (ranked 100th) in the other semi-final on the same day.
