Five players who missed out on final India squad for CAFA Nations Cup

India will kick off the CAFA Nations Cup 2025 against Tajikistan on August 29.

Khalid Jamil has finalised his Indian football team squad for his first-ever tournament as the Blue Tigers head coach in the CAFA Nations Cup. Jamil has not been able to select any players from Mohun Bagan, but has tried selecting the strongest crop of players that will be representing the nation in the upcoming tournament.

Jamil has given opportunities to a variety of players who have impressed in the Indian football scene and the Indian Super League (ISL) over the last few years. With that being said, there are also some notable footballers who missed out on the India squad for the CAFA Nations Cup.

These involve those not playing for Mohun Bagan, with Jamil surprising some fans because of his decision to omit these players from the final squad despite having called them for the initial training sessions. Here we look at the five surprising players to have missed out on Khalid Jamil’s first squad.

Also Read: Khalid Jamil announces India national team squad for CAFA Nations Cup 2025

5. Sunil Benchamin

Khalid Jamil surprised many Indian fans with his decision to include defender Sunil Benchamin in his probable India squad for the training camp. Benchamin was the only player selected from the Indian Armed Forces football team and someone who didn’t even play in the Indian Super League (ISL)!

That was thanks to Jamil being impressed with what he saw from Benchamin in the Durand Cup, with his promising performances for the Army Red team.

Even though Sunil worked hard in the training camp in attempting to prove his quality, it seems that he came up short of Jamil’s expectations. Benchamin, anyhow, faced stiff competition from the likes of Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhingan and Rahul Bheke in that centre-back role, and Jamil couldn’t prioritise Sunil over either of them.

Benchamin can take positives from his call-up and work harder to get his place in an ISL team and potentially make his India debut in the near future.

4. Albino Gomes

Albino Gomes’ heroics for Jamshedpur FC at the 2024-25 ISL did not go unnoticed by his former head coach, with Jamil selecting him for the India national team training camp. Gomes was able to keep five clean sheets in the 2024-25 ISL campaign, producing some really eye-catching performances against Mohun Bagan in the semifinal as well. Gomes was able to prove himself as an expert shot-stopper, who is able to use his quick reflexes to bail out his side time and again.

Despite being named in the probable squad, Gomes ended up being removed from the final squad for the CAFA Nations Cup. With Vishal Kaith also absent, Jamil opted to bring back Gurpreet Singh Sandhu into the squad and pair him with Amrinder Singh as well as Hritik Tiwari. As a result, Albino ended up missing the squad and his wait for an international debut continues.

3. Alex Saji

Alex Saji was one of the bright points for Hyderabad FC in the 2024-25 ISL campaign, producing a number of eye-catching performances for the Nawabs. He helped them keep three clean sheets and was able to show his quality as a proactive, hard-working centre-back who troubled quite a few notable forwards in the ISL.

Saji’s heroics in the ISL last season earned him a call-up to the India national team training camp under Jamil, where he was determined to prove his quality to the gaffer.

However, Saji was not really able to produce any incredible performances in training, nor be able to prove himself as a more reliable option than the other experienced centre-backs. As a result, Jamil had no option but to cut Saji from the final squad, and the Hyderabad FC defender will need to work harder to break through into the Blue Tigers squad.

2. Rahul KP

Rahul KP had an eventful summer of 2025 as he was able to travel to the USA to play for West Ham United in the Soccer Tournament, a seven-a-side tournament. He played in every match for the Hammers in the tournament, producing some nice performances and eventually gaining the attention of Khalid Jamil.

Rahul had scored two goals and provided an assist in 19 ISL games for Odisha FC last season, being a proactive threat for them in the right-wing position. Rahul’s heroics in the summer helped him earn a place in the India probable squad ahead of the CAFA Nations Cup.

There were hopes from some fans that Rahul would be able to break into the India squad, but that ended up falling flat. Rahul was seemingly not able to prove himself an idea fit into Jamil’s playing style or a better option than the other wingers involved. He ended up being dropped from the final squad and will now have to do it all over again as he aims to make his India debut in the near future.

1. Akash Mishra

Akash Mishra ended up missing the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign for Mumbai City because of a nasty injury. He had to take his time in recovering from his cruciate ligament injury and could not play a single game for the Islanders.

However, Mishra is now fit and roaring to go again, which is why he was selected by Khalid Jamil in the India probable squad. Mishra’s inclusion was furthermore necessary because of Subhasish Bose not being available and Jamil being in desperate need of left-back options in his squad.

Mishra was involved in the training camp in Kolkata, but he ended up failing to fully convince the gaffer. He couldn’t outperform Muhammed Uvais in training, and Jamil ended up picking his former player as the primary left-back option for the CAFA Nations Cup. Mishra will need to get his head up and work on gaining more match sharpness before able to get back into the India squad.

Mohun Bagan players unavailable for selection

The biggest talking point from this announcement is the complete absence of Mohun Bagan Super Giant players. Regular names like Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Deepak Tangri, Manvir Singh, and Liston Colaco won’t be part of the squad.

The club has refused to release them, stressing that they are only obliged to do so during the FIFA window. With the AFC Champions League 2 starting on September 16, the ISL champions are fully focused on their own preparations.

The situation turned messy after Mohun Bagan officials accused the AIFF of poor player management, claiming it has contributed to injuries. Matters escalated further following the injury of captain Subhasish Bose, who has been out of action since the end of last ISL season. While the club insists he picked up the injury during national duty, the AIFF has denied this version of events.

In a bid to resolve the standoff, India Khalid Jamil reached out to the Mohun Bagan management and asked them to reconsider. But despite his efforts, the club has not budged from its stance.

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