Kochi: Kerala Blasters FC have announced a 29-member squad for the Super Cup.
Jessel Carneiro will captain the side, while Uruguayan playmaker Adrian Luna has opted out citing personal reasons.
Australian forward Apostolos Giannou is the only international Asian Football Confederation player in the squad.
The squad features 11 Malayali players. They are Rahul K P, Sahal Abdul Samad, Sreekuttan M S, Sachin Suresh, Nihal Sudeesh, Vibin Mohanan, Bijoy Varghese, Mohammed Azhar, Mohammed Aimen, Muhammed Saheef and Thejas Krishna.
“We are entering the race for the Hero Super Cup aiming for the title. The team is fully prepared for another competitive tournament, right after the Indian Super League. Along with foreign stars, determined home-grown talents will make the team complete in all sense and we are confident enough with their performance,” said Blasters Sporting Director Karolis Skinkys.
Blasters take on I-League Champions RoundGlass Punjab FC in their opening match at the EMS Stadium in Kozhikode on Saturday.
Blasters have been placed in Group A along with Bengaluru FC, RoundGlass Punjab and the winners of the qualifying match between Sreenidi Deccan and NEROCA FC.
The match between Blasters and Bengaluru at the EMS Stadium in Kozhikode on April 16 promises to be a high-voltage clash in the wake of the former forfeiting their ISL play-off to the latter.
The group winners will progress to the semifinals. The final is scheduled to be held in Kozhikode on April 25.
The squad: Goalkeepers: Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Karanjit Singh, Sachin Suresh, Muheet Shabir.
Defenders: Victor Mongil, Marko Leskovic, Hormipam Ruivah, Sandeep Singh, Bijoy Varghese, Nishu Kumar, Jessel Carneiro, Muhammed Saheef, Thejas Krishna.
Midfielders: Danish Farooq, Ayush Adhikari, Jeakson Singh, Ivan Kaliuzhnyi, Mohammed Azhar, Vibin Mohanan.
Forwards: Bryce Brian Miranda, Saurav Mandal, Rahul K P, Sahal Abdul Samad, Nihal Sudeesh, Bidyashagar Singh, Sreekuttan M S Mohammed Aimen, Dimitrios Diamantakos, Apostolos Giannou.
