India on Thursday named 44 probables without a host of senior players, including captain Bhaichung Bhutia and Renedy Singh, for next month's AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers.The probables named by the AIFF have a mix of senior and India Under-23 players with more than half of them from the new I-League side Indian Arrows, floated by the national federation.
Goalkeeper Subrata Paul, defenders Gourmangi Singh and Anwar Ali, midfielders Syed Rahim Nabi and Steven Dias and striker Sunil Chhetri were the six players in the probables who also have played in the Asian Cup in Doha last month.
Young Indian Arrows goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Govin Singh, N S Manju, Rakesh Masih and Baldeep Singh are the five players who were in the 23-member India squad for the Asian Cup and also among the probables.
Besides Bhutia and Renedy, those who were in the Indian squad for the Asian Cup but not among the probables are Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, Deepak Mondal, Mahesh Gawli, Surkumar Singh, N P Pradeep, Climax Lawrence, Mehrajuddin Wadoo, Clifford Miranda, Abhishek Yadav and Mohammed Rafi.
India had won the 2008 edition of the AFC Challenger Cup which gave them the right to participate in the 2011 Asian Cup. India had fielded a junior side in the 2010 edition and crashed out in the group stage.
India have been placed in Group B along with Pakistan, Turkmenistan and Chinese Taipei for the qualifiers to be held between March 20 to 31. The venue is yet to be announced.
The Probables: Subrata Paul, Arindam Bhattacharya, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Denzil Franco,Gourmangi Singh, Anwar Ali, N Mohanraj, Nirmal Chhetri, Govin Singh, Syed Rahim Nabi, N S Manju, Raju Gaikwad, Steven Dias, Joaquim Abranches, Baldip Singh, Jagpreet Singh, Rakesh Masih, Jewel Raja, Shilton D'Silva, Sunil Chhetri, Sushil Kumar Singh, C S Sabeeth, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Jagroop Singh, Ravi Kumar, Vishal Kumar, Abhishek Das, Deepak Devrani, Inderpreet Singh, Souvik Ghosh, Lalrozama Fanai, Pratamesh Moulingkar, Akshay Kumar Mall, Subodh Kumar, Milan Singh, Bikramjit Singh, Lalrindika Ralte, Trithankar Sarkar, Jibon Singh, Manandeep, Robin Singh, Holicharan Narzary, Malswamfela and Jagtar Singh.