Ten players dropped from Indian football team squad for Singapore double-header

Khalid Jamil has announced a 23-member travelling squad for the must-win AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.

Khalid Jamil has made some interesting changes to his Indian football team for their upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers against Singapore.

The Blue Tigers are set to face the Lions in their next two qualifiers, and they need to win both of them to enhance their chances of keeping their Asian Cup qualification dreams alive.

As he’s absolutely determined to pick the strongest bunch of players based on performances shown in the recent training camp, Khalid Jamil has had to leave out a number of prominent players from his squad.

He has cut out a large number of players who featured in the CAFA Nations Cup campaign for India, as Jamil clearly wants experience in his squad and to go with the players that he feels will produce the best performances.

Khalid Jamil announced the 23-member travelling squad for the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers match against Singapore on October 9! Hrithik Tiwari & Muhammed Suhail are in reserve for the home game on October 14!#IndianFootball #IndianFootballTeam #BlueTigers pic.twitter.com/MEla5wqMVr

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) October 5, 2025

Here we look at the 10 players to have been dropped from the Indian football team squad for the Singapore games.

10. Manvir Singh (Jr)

Manvir Singh Jr made his debut for India under Jamil at the CAFA Nations Cup. However, he failed to really make a prominent impact as a substitute or score any of the goals.

Singh lacked the ruthlessness that Jamil prefers in his centre-forwards, which is why he has been dropped from the national squad.

9. Jeakson Singh

Jeakson Singh was actually among the starters in India’s first match under Khalid Jamil, producing a solid performance in the 2-1 win over Tajikistan.

However, Jeakson wasn’t able to prove himself as that reliable of a midfielder. He struggled to win duels in the midfield, protect his backline or contribute much going forward, which is why he’s no longer part of the set-up.

8. Hrithik Tiwari

Hrithik Tiwari was a bright performer for FC Goa in the 2024-25 season, keeping seven clean sheets in 17 Indian Super League (ISL) appearances for them. He was selected in the India squad for the CAFA Nations Cup, but was never used.

Jamil has now removed him from the squad, opting to select Gurmeet Singh as a third-choice goalkeeper instead. However, the FC Goa custodian has been kept on standby for the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers home fixture against Singapore on October 14.

7. Boris Singh

Boris Singh only received one minute of playing time for India in the CAFA Nations Cup. The FC Goa man has featured heavily in their AFC Champions League Two campaign so far, but his shaky performances might have dissuaded Jamil.

Boris couldn’t impress the gaffer with his energetic playing style or inability to make goal contributions, and has been dropped instead.

6. Irfan Yadwad

It could be argued that Irfan Yadwad was arguably the biggest loser from India’s CAFA Nations Cup campaign. That is because, despite starting every single match, the Chennaiyin FC forward failed to make any impact.

He couldn’t get a single goal contribution or come close to scoring, which is why it’s not surprising that he’s been removed from the squad.

5. Chinglensana Singh

The experienced India centre-back, who made two appearances in the CAFA Nations Cup, has missed out on the national team call-up. Singh wasn’t really able to prove himself as an unbreakable centre-back, which is why Jamil had to leave him.

Chinglensana ended up missing out on a spot because of Punjab FC man Pramveer being called up instead.

Also Read: Indian Football Calendar for October 2025; AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, Super Cup & more

4. Naorem Roshan Singh

Naorem Roshan Singh was a standout for Bengaluru FC in the 2024-25 season, playing a key role in helping them make the ISL final. He played in three CAFA Nations Cup games for India and produced a gritty performance against Oman in the third-place clash.

However, Roshan has ended up being dropped from the squad. Khalid Jamil has only chosen Muhammad Uvais as a natural left-back option, opting against picking any other alternatives for him.

3. Jithin MS

Jithin MS was given his international debut by Khalid Jamil in the CAFA Nations Cup and also produced some eye-catching performances in the tournament.

He showed admirable energy and the right attitude with his performances, working his socks off and helping India construct better attacking moves.

Despite his admirable performances, Jithin has been dropped from the squad and now faces an uphill task to get his spot back.

2. Ashique Kuruniyan

Ashique Kuruniyan started in a variety of different roles for India in the CAFA Nations Cup. He looked sharp with his movement and link-up play, but was unable to get a single goal contribution. Kuruniyan missed the Oman game because of an injury, but was in the probable training squad under Jamil recently.

It seems that Ashique couldn’t stand out in the training session and prove himself as a viable goal threat, with Liston Colaco’s return also possibly playing a part in getting him dropped from the squad.

1. Suresh Singh

Suresh Singh appeared to have regained a starting role for India under Khalid Jamil, as he started in all four CAFA Nations Cup matches. However, it seems that the Bengaluru FC midfielder wasn’t as good as Jamil had hoped him to be.

Singh couldn’t win over Khalid with his performances in the training camp, which is why he’s now been dropped from the squad. Singh will now have to perform at a high level for Bengaluru FC in the domestic scene to win back Jamil’s trust and regain a spot in the India squad.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.