Top five players with most assists in Durand Cup 2023

These players will hope to replicate their performances in Durand Cup 2024, which will kick off on 27 July.

The Durand Cup 2024 is poised to kick off the 2024/25 Indian football season and serve as an ideal tournament to prepare for the upcoming campaign. It’s also the perfect platform for players to raise their match sharpness and for the new signings to make an early mark for the teams they have joined in the summer window.

Being the oldest tournament in Indian Football, the Durand Cup is also a prestigious silverware for any of the teams participating. Because of the history behind it, the players participating have enough incentive to script themselves into the history books by performing well in the tournament.

The Durand Cup 2023, which was won by Mohun Bagan, was a highly entertaining one and saw immaculate performances from many players. But there were only a handful of players who were above everyone else in terms of creating goals. Here we look at the top five players with the highest assists in the previous Durand Cup edition.

5. Aakash Sangwan – 2 Assists

Chennaiyin FC dominated the group stages of the 2023 Durand Cup, winning all three group matches in compelling fashion. One of their brightest players in the edition was the vibrant left-back Aakash Sangwan, who produced a number of exciting displays with his creative threat.

Sangwan created a number of big chances for the Marina Machans in the four games and produced two assists. He was a thorn for the opposition teams in the group stages with his excellent set-piece delivery and crosses from the wide areas, helping him earn multiple assists. Sangwan has now joined FC Goa and will look to inspire them to winning the title this year.

4. Greg Stewart – 3 Assists

Greg Stewart was one of the driving forces behind Mumbai City FC’s inspired Durand Cup run last year in the group stages. The Scottish midfielder showcased impressive match fitness and the ability to outwit opponents with his unpredictable work in the final third. In four matches for the Islanders, Stewart picked up three assists and also scored a goal.

He tormented the likes of Mohammedan Sporting and Jamshedpur FC with his innovative style, setting up quite a few goals with his clever final third passes and finding his teammates in the perfect positions. It looks like Stewart could be donning a new jersey for the upcoming Durand Cup amid his links to Mohun Bagan.

3. Alex Sanchez – 3 Assists

Gokulam Kerala captain Alex Sanchez produced a few memorable appearances in the Durand Cup last year and led his side in inspired fashion. Despite being a centre-forward, he showcased impressive link-up play by getting involved in a lot of attacking moves and also setting things up for his teammates. He managed to pick up three assists in four appearances in the Durand Cup, which included a brilliant performance against Kerala Blasters.

Sanchez set up two goals against the Blasters, giving his side a huge win that helped them get into the knockout rounds. He played pretty well against East Bengal in the quarter-final too, but was unable to save them from suffering a bitter loss.

2. Alexis Gomez – 3 Assists

Mohammedan Sporting will look to kick-start their 2024/25 season in style with a strong showing in the Durand Cup 2024 before their debut in the Indian Super League (ISL). They’ll be reliant on their inspired Argentine forward Alexis Gomez to work his magic in the Durand Cup, to take them far into the tournament.

Gomez had a pretty good campaign in the tournament last year, even though the Black Panthers were unfortunate to be eliminated from the group stages despite winning two of their three group games. Gomez produced an immaculate performance against Jamshedpur FC, getting three assists in one game! He will hope to be more consistent with his goal contributions this year, to ensure his side gets past the group stages and inspire them to lodge a strong push for the title.

1. Vibin Mohanan – 3 Assists

Kerala Blasters opted to use the Durand Cup as a platform for their young players last year. That definitely worked out well for midfielder Vibin Mohanan. Mohanan only made two appearances for the Tuskers in the tournament but he definitely showed the quality of his talent with his performances.

In only two appearances, Mohanan managed to pick up three assists. This included one clever assist in Kerala Blasters’ 2-2 draw against rivals Bengaluru FC before getting two assists in their 5-0 win over the Indian Air Force side. Mohanan is likely to get a lot of exposure in the upcoming Durand Cup and have a bigger role in the Kerala Blasters side this season. He will look to replicate his heroics to take his side much deeper into the tournament.

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