Three Mohun Bagan SG players to watch out for at Durand Cup 2026

Mohun Bagan SG will begin their Durand Cup 2026 campaign against East Bengal FC

Mohun Bagan SG are all set to begin their 2026-27 season with the beginning of the Durand Cup, which is poised to act as the curtain-raiser for the Indian football season once again. The Mariners had been eliminated in the quarterfinals of the previous Durand Cup edition by East Bengal, but Panagiotis Dilmperis will look to treat the upcoming one as a tournament to win.

While the Durand Cup will be a tournament where Mohun Bagan SG do much of their pre-season preparations, they definitely have a strong enough squad to compete for the title – even if the foreign players aren’t extensively used.

The competition will also be the ideal platform for the new head coach to assess the overall quality and potential of his players, especially the domestic players who are fighting to establish regular positions within his system.

Indeed, the Durand Cup can be an ideal platform for some of Mohun Bagan SG’s talented Indian players to prove to the gaffer why they deserve important roles in his plans for the 2026-27 season. Panagiotis is still in the midst of deciding his strongest starting XI at Mohun Bagan SG and analysing which players have the ideal profile to excel in his playing style and help his side play entertaining attacking football.

To win over the new gaffer, the players will need to put 100% effort into their performances and also be efficient to prove they can be a solid fit for Dilmperis’ tactics.

Below, we look at the three Mohun Bagan players to watch out for at the 2026 Durand Cup.

Suhail Bhat

Suhail Bhat is widely considered as one of the brightest young players in Indian football and someone who can actually be a viable long-term option to spearhead India’s attack going forward. The 21-year-old, however, was barely used in the 2025-26 season and didn’t get to make a single appearance in the previous ISL.

He is now determined to win over the new gaffer in Panagiotis Dilmperis, who will treat every player equally when determining their threat in his system. Bhat has had a pretty shaky start to pre-season, producing some forgettable performances for Mohun Bagan in the Calcutta Football League so far.

With that being said, he should be used quite well in the Durand Cup – with Jamie Maclaren yet to join up with the Mariners’ pre-season training.

The 21-year-old has to be at his explosive best at the Durand Cup to torment Mohun Bagan SG’s opponents and pose a clinical threat for his side. Suhail has to keep his temper in check and be smart with his off-the-ball movement to get into the danger zones and position himself well inside the penalty box.

As long as the young forward can prove himself as a reliable goal-scorer by finishing off chances efficiently, he can be a breath of fresh air in Panagiotis’ system and cause problems for Mohun Bagan SG’s opposition at the Durand Cup 2026.

Also Read: Last five winners of Durand Cup Emerging Player Award

Anirudh Thapa

Anirudh Thapa produced some pretty good performances for Mohun Bagan SG in the 2025-26 ISL season, even bagging two assists for them in 13 appearances across the campaign.

However, the 28-year-old midfielder now faces even more pressure for his place in the Mariners midfield after seeing them add a new midfielder in Samir Zeljkovic in their ranks for the new campaign.

With Lalengmawia Ralte having a bigger reputation and almost poised for a starting role in the midfield, Thapa has to produce really bright performances to convince Panagiotis to give him ample amount of playing time in his system.

That is probably why Thapa will be using his minutes at the Durand Cup to prove he can be a competitive, hard-working midfielder capable of fulfilling many responsibilities in the Mariners’ midfield.

Thapa will need to be at his best when it comes to passing the ball around, being creative with forward passes and showing reactiveness in moving his side forward.

The 28-year-old had 39 defensive contributions last season, but he probably needs to show himself capable of winning more duels and winning possession in dangerous areas to impress the gaffer.

A lot of eyes will be on Thapa’s performances at the Durand Cup, and he needs to be a positive bucket of energy to add incisiveness and snappiness in the Mariners’ side.

Manvir Singh

Manvir Singh is coming at the back of a pretty underwhelming 2025-26 ISL campaign, where he only started seven matches for Mohun Bagan SG.

The India international managed just three goal contributions (two goals, one assist) from 13 appearances, and his performances as a substitute were also quite under-par for most of the occasion. With the Mariners strengthening their right-wing with the signing of Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir is now under even more pressure to either produce impressive performances on a consistent basis or risk seeing himself fall further down the pecking order in the Mohun Bagan SG attacking line.

That is why there is a lot of incentive for Manvir to use the 2026 Durand Cup as a platform to show Panagiotis why he can be a key asset for his system at Mohun Bagan SG.

Manvir has to be smart in using his physical attributes well to trouble defenders, but he needs to significantly improve his decisiveness and ruthlessness in creating better chances and finishing moves off perfectly to win over the gaffer.

Manvir recently scored in a CFL match for Mohun Bagan, but he needs to keep his goal contribution form going to prove himself capable of being an important player for the Mariners under the new head coach.

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