Top five Jamshedpur FC players to watch out for in Durand Cup 2026

Red Miners kickstart Durand Cup campaign against Sri Lanka’s Defenders FC in state capital Ranchi

The Birsa Munda Football Stadium in Ranchi, Jharkhand, will host the 135th edition of the Durand Cup, where all Group C fixtures and one quarterfinal match will be played for the first time ever in the state capital.

Jamshedpur FC, despite playing the Durand Cup at the Furnace for the last two years, failed to advance past the quarter-final stage. Khalid Jamil’s Jamshedpur made it to the quarter-finals last year after winning three out of three games against Indian Army, Tribhuvan and 1 Ladakh FC.

However, after Khalid left for national team duty, Steven Dias’ side succumbed to a defeat against Diamond Harbour FC. This time, Jamshedpur FC will leave no stone unturned to make their Ranchi odyssey a memorable one.

Jamshedpur FC have been drawn against ISL outfit SC Delhi, Indian Air Force and Sri Lanka’s Defenders FC in Group C of the Durand Cup, and they are one of the favourites to emerge as the group toppers and advance past the group stages. Kaizad Ambapardiwalla will lead the Red Miners.

In this article, we take a closer look at the top five players of Jamshedpur FC to keep an eye on in the 135th edition of the Durand Cup.

5. Pronay Halder

Pronay has been an indispensable component of Jamshedpur FC. He joined the Red Miners as a loanee and played a crucial role in winning the ISL Shield with Owen Coyle before he was offered a permanent move to the Steel City. Halder will captain Jamshedpur in the Durand Cup 2026.

Halder plays as a defensive midfielder but can drop down as a defender when the team does a high press to close down narrow leads. The former India international has massive experience playing for various ISL clubs and will be a key player to watch out for in the midfield for Jamshedpur.

4. Devendra Murgaokar

Jamshedpur will heavily rely on former FC Goa striker Murgaokar, who will be up against his former team, SC Delhi, in the Durand Cup. The 27-year-old had a decent campaign with SC Delhi but failed to find the back of the net even once last season.

He will face stiff competition from Rosenberg Gabriel and young lads like Seram and Alvin for the number nine role. The Panaji-born striker will be keen to go all guns blazing in the upcoming games in the Durand Cup and find his lost rhythm.

3. Albino Gomes

The undisputed presence between the sticks for Jamshedpur FC, Albino Gomes, will be one of the strongest contenders to win the Golden Glove Award. The Goan custodian holds the record for making the most penalty saves in the history of ISL.

If Jamshedpur advance past the group stages, they will play a series of knockouts and a lot of times, the matches go down to penalties, and Kaizad could not ask for anyone better than Gomes between the sticks for the Red Miners.

2. Pratik Chaudhari

Pratik Chaudhari has been a reliable presence in Jamshedpur FC’s defence in the last few seasons. One of the veteran Indian defenders, the former Bengaluru FC paired with Stephen Eze and Lazar Cirkovic and led one of the tightest defences in the league last season for the Red Miners.

In the Durand Cup, Pratik will miss the presence of a foreign centre back and will most likely pair alongside Sarthak Golui. SC Delhi and Indian Air Force will test Jamshedpur FC’s defence and debutants Defenders FC would also bring surprising elements, and Pratik must rise up to the occasion to lead his side to glory.

1. Nikhil Barla

Unarguably one of the brightest talents in the Jamshedpur squad, Nikhil Barla recently got a national team call-up. The local lad from Khunti will enjoy significant home advantage playing in Ranchi, which is located at a one-hour distance from his village in Khunti.

Barla plays as a right back and can even play as a right winger. His versatility and his ability to accelerate up the wings allow Jamshedpur to field an additional player in the midfield. It will be interesting to see whether Kaizad deploys Barla as a fullback or a winger.

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