Mumbai City FC's Amey Ranawade out of ISL 2022-23 after knee surgery

The defender will be unable to participate in the 2022-23 season of the ISL.

Mumbai City FC have confirmed that Amey Ranawade is out for the remainder of the 2022-23 Indian Super League. The centre-back is recuperating from knee surgery after an injury during the 2022 Durand Cup. With a long road ahead towards a full recovery, he will not be featuring for the Islanders in the ongoing edition of the league.

Amey Ranawade picked up a knee injury during the semi-final clash in the 2022 Durand Cup against Mohammedan SC. While the Islanders won that game by 1-0 to reach the final where they lost to Bengaluru FC, losing Ranawade to a long-term injury was a major setback.

Des Buckingham’s men have one of the strongest attacking lineups in the Indian Super League. In order to find a good balance between attack and defence, Amey Ranawade would have played a significant role in shutting the opposition attacks down.

A key figure in the defence

With the 24-year-old out for the rest of the season, it will be a challenge for MCFC to stay defensively sound. He played 20 matches during the 2020-21 season for the club when it won both the ISL Shield and Trophy. Furthermore, Ranawade made five appearances in the 2022 Durand Cup itself before picking up the unfortunate injury.

Losing a player of Amey Ranawade’s quality will be a huge blow for Des Buckingham. Due to the versatility of the player, the head coach could play him either as a centre-back or as a full-back, depending on the situation and the demands. Mumbai City FC have a lot of expectations this year and would like to reclaim its throne.

Players like Mehtab Singh and Rahul Bheke must step up in the absence of Amey Ranawade and make the best of the opportunities. Helping the club record clean sheets and guiding it towards playoffs qualification should be the target.