Exclusive: Inter Kashi sign 16 players and register 22-man squad for ISL 2026-27

Uttar Pradesh’s only top-division club will begin the season without a single foreign player after FIFA lifted its transfer bans

Inter Kashi have signed 16 players and registered a 22-man squad since FIFA lifted their transfer bans, Khel Now can exclusively reveal.

The club had been barred from registering anyone for the Indian Super League (ISL) 2026-27 season until the bans were cleared. FIFA removed them in the early hours of October 7, four days before Kashi open their campaign against Kerala Blasters on October 11.

Kashi had been carrying four separate FIFA transfer bans, imposed for failing to clear dues owed to four former players. The club made the remaining payments to these players last week.

All 22 registered players are Indian. Kashi are set to start the season as the only ISL club without a foreign player in the squad.

A season spent looking for an investor

The club has been under financial strain since the end of last season, when its principal investor informed Kashi it would not continue. The search for a replacement has not succeeded.

Kashi are yet to begin pre-season. Khel Now understands the players are likely to report within the next 24 hours.

The club also remains in final discussions to confirm the Shri Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune, as its home ground for the season — a change from the Ranchi venue it had been working towards. Kashi will play their first eight matches at home.

Kashi have agreed terms with Carlos Vaz Pinto to take charge. The Portuguese coach has had two spells at Sreenidi Deccan, taking them to successive I-League runners-up finishes in 2022-23 and 2023-24 before returning for the 2025-26 season. He left the club at the end of that campaign.

16 new players for Inter Kashi

The group is heavily weighted towards the back. Kashi have signed seven defenders and only two central midfielders, with six players from Jamshedpur FC after the club’s withdrawal from the ISL left its squad available.

Goalkeeper

Albino Gomes (32, from Jamshedpur FC): The most established name in the group. The Goa-born keeper won his second India cap yesterday, coming on for Gurpreet Singh Sandhu against Uruguay in Kolkata, four months after making his debut at 32. He was part of the Aizawl FC side that won the I-League in 2016-17, and has since played for Kerala Blasters, Churchill Brothers and Sreenidi Deccan, where he worked under Vaz Pinto in 2023-24, before two seasons at Jamshedpur.

Defenders

Laldinliana Renthlei (28, from Chennaiyin FC): A right-back from Mizoram with more than 100 ISL appearances across Chennaiyin, Jamshedpur and Odisha FC. He was part of the Jamshedpur side that won the League Winners’ Shield in 2021-22 and has played 13 AFC Cup matches. His career began at Aizawl, where he featured in an AFC Champions League qualifier in 2018.

Pratik Chaudhari (37, from Jamshedpur FC): The oldest player in the squad, who turned 37 three days ago. The Mumbai-born centre-back has 148 ISL appearances to his name, and made 101 appearances for Jamshedpur across two spells. He has also played for Bengaluru FC, Mumbai City and Kerala Blasters.

Gursimrat Singh Gill (29, from Rajasthan United): A product of the AIFF Elite Academy, Gill was in the squads that won the ISL with Bengaluru FC in 2018-19, the League Winners’ Shield with Mumbai City in 2022-23 and the Super Cup with East Bengal in 2024. Chances were rare at those clubs, though; he made 18 ISL appearances across five of them and he spent last season in the I-League with Rajasthan United.

Nishchal Chandan (27, from Punjab FC): A centre-back from Chandigarh who spent last season at Kashi, making nine ISL appearances. He joined Punjab FC in July, but the two parties have since terminated the contract and he returns to Kashi. Before that, he played 38 times across two spells at Churchill Brothers.

Leewan Castanha (23, from Jamshedpur FC): A Goan defender who came through FC Goa’s academy and had two spells with the AIFF’s Indian Arrows. He broke into Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s first team last year, making three appearances in Durand Cup 2025, then joined Jamshedpur in July but did not play a game before the club’s withdrawal. He can play at centre-back or right-back.

Sajad Hussain Parray (23, from Mohammedan SC): A left-back from Jammu and Kashmir who can also play right or in central defence, and a two-time India U-20 international. He scored in the ISL for Hyderabad FC in 2023-24 and has 28 appearances in the competition. Parray terminated his contract with Mohammedan Sporting over non-payment and is set to play for Kashi this season.

Tanush Pandey (21, from Maharashtra Oranje FC): The only player in the 22-man squad born in Uttar Pradesh, the state Kashi represents. The defender has been on Mumbai City’s books at reserve level.

Midfielders

Hitesh Sharma (28, from Odisha FC): The more experienced of the two midfield arrivals, with 88 ISL appearances across ATK, Hyderabad FC, Odisha and Mumbai City. Hitesh was highly rated as a youngster, making his India debut at 20 in 2018, and won the ISL with Hyderabad in 2021-22. His career has stalled since: three senior caps and 17 appearances in the two and a half years since he left Hyderabad.

Jitendra Singh (25, from Chennaiyin FC): A defensive midfielder born in Kolkata who was part of India’s squad at the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup on home soil. He spent five seasons at Jamshedpur, winning the League Winners’ Shield in 2021-22, has 73 ISL appearances and can also drop into central defence. Khel Now understands he had offers from I-League clubs before choosing Kashi.

Forwards and wingers

Manvir Singh (25, from Jamshedpur FC): A centre-forward from Nawanshahr with three India caps — not to be confused with the Mohun Bagan Super Giant forward of the same name. Singh offers physicality, but has scored nine goals in 82 career appearances, and one in 31 ISL games.

Rosenberg Gilbert Gabriel (27, from Jamshedpur FC): A left winger from Maharashtra who can play on either flank. He made his name at Sreenidi Deccan, with eight goals and eight assists in 65 matches, including two seasons under Vaz Pinto. Chances dried up after he joined Jamshedpur in October 2025, and he played 10 times without scoring.

Sreekuttan V S (28, from Jamshedpur FC): A right winger from Thrissur who, like Gabriel, built his reputation in the I-League. At Gokulam Kerala, he scored eight goals and provided nine assists in 69 matches, won the I-League in 2021-22 and played in the AFC Cup that followed. Two seasons at Jamshedpur brought one ISL appearance.

Ashangbam Aphaoba Singh (22, from Odisha FC): A Manipur-born forward who can play anywhere across the front line, and a two-time India U-20 international. He came through the Minerva Academy and Punjab FC before joining Odisha in 2023, but regular minutes have not followed: 11 appearances in three seasons there, two of them in the AFC Cup.

Ayush Chhikara (24, from Mumbai City FC): A centre-forward from Haryana who came through the Reliance Foundation Young Champs programme and spent four years in Mumbai City’s first team. He burst onto the scene with three goals at the 2024 Super Cup, but has not scored in 22 ISL appearances, which add up to fewer than 500 minutes. He was in the squads that won the Shield in 2022-23 and the ISL Cup in 2023-24.

Thoi Singh Huidrom (22, from NorthEast United FC): Another Reliance Foundation Young Champs graduate and a forward who was highly rated at youth level. He won the Development League twice with Bengaluru FC’s reserves and earned India U-23 caps last year, but is still looking for a first ISL goal after 27 appearances. His three goals for NorthEast have all come in the Durand Cup, which they won in 2024 and 2025.

Also Read: ISL 2026-27: Inter Kashi fixtures for Phase 1

Six players retained by Inter Kashi

Three of the six were already contracted until May 2027. The other three have signed new deals until the end of this season.

Already registered

Wayne Vaz (32, centre-back): A Mumbai-born defender and an I-League regular, with 84 appearances in the competition for clubs including Churchill Brothers, Mohammedan, Real Kashmir and Rajasthan United, plus 22 in the ISL. He joined Kashi in October 2025 and can also play at right-back.

Aritra Das (23, left-back): Another Reliance Foundation Young Champs graduate, who came up through Kerala Blasters’ reserves. He has been at Kashi since July 2024, was part of the squad that won the I-League in 2024-25 and can play at either full-back.

Karthik Jithendran Panicker (23, midfielder): Also at Kashi since July 2024 and an I-League winner the following season. He came up through the Delhi circuit with Garhwal FC, with loan spells at Sudeva Delhi and FC Bengaluru United, and can play in central midfield, on the left or at right-back.

New contracts

Sumeet Passi (32, centre-forward): The squad’s senior figure and its longest-serving player, having joined in September 2023. The Yamuna Nagar-born striker has nine India caps and four international goals, and played 21 times as Kashi won the I-League in 2024-25. He has also played for NorthEast United, Jamshedpur, Punjab FC and East Bengal.

Shubham Balasaheb Dhas (28, goalkeeper): Signed in October 2023, a month after Passi. The Pune-born keeper came through FC Goa’s system and was in their squad for the 2021 AFC Champions League, before two seasons at NEROCA. He made his ISL debut last season, keeping three clean sheets in seven appearances — and if the Balewadi deal goes through, he will play his home games in his home city.

Mohit Singh Dhami (21, goalkeeper): An Uttarakhand-born keeper who came through Sudeva Delhi’s academy and Jamshedpur’s reserves, with a spell at Diamond Harbour before joining Kashi in October 2025.

Eight home games to start

Kashi open against Kerala Blasters on October 11 and play their first eight matches at home before four away trips to close Phase 1.

The meeting with Churchill Brothers on November 27 carries an edge. The two clubs fought over the 2024-25 I-League title off the pitch: the AIFF’s appeals committee handed it to Churchill in May 2025, before the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in July that Kashi were champions, two points clear on 42. Albino, Chandan and Vaz have all played for Churchill.

Khel Now understands Kashi remain in talks with a few more players. Whether any of those deals close before October 11 will decide if they start the season with 22.

Inter Kashi squad for ISL 2026-27

Goalkeepers: Albino Gomes, Shubham Balasaheb Dhas, Mohit Singh Dhami

Defenders: Laldinliana Renthlei, Pratik Chaudhari, Gursimrat Singh Gill, Nishchal Chandan, Wayne Vaz, Leewan Castanha, Sajad Hussain Parray, Aritra Das, Tanush Pandey

Midfielders: Hitesh Sharma, Jitendra Singh, Karthik Jithendran Panicker

Forwards: Sumeet Passi, Manvir Singh, Rosenberg Gilbert Gabriel, Sreekuttan V S, Ashangbam Aphaoba Singh, Ayush Chhikara, Thoi Singh Huidrom