Top five players snubbed for India squad against New Zealand
An evaluation of squad trade-offs ahead of New Zealand Friendlies
The Indian Men’s National Football Team’s 23-man squad for the trips to Auckland on November 12 and Christchurch on November 15 is a pragmatic selection built around constraints.
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was dropped after the 0-4 defeat to Brazil, Anwar Ali is out for over a month with a hamstring injury, and Apuia and Mohammed Sanan are also injured.
Three players, Bijoy Varghese, Muhammad Suhail and Liston Colaco, were pulled from the SAFF Championship squad in Dhaka, so Jamil is sharing his pool with a parallel tournament.
The opponent matters too. New Zealand were at the 2026 World Cup, where they drew with Iran and lost to Egypt and Belgium.
They sit 86th in the FIFA rankings, to India’s 138th. Jamil’s own stated priorities are preparation, discipline, and improving as a team. That makes the omissions of five domestic performers worth examining, even where Jamil’s reasoning is defensible.
1. Vibin Mohanan (CM, Kerala Blasters)
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Form and profile. Vibin is a deep-lying playmaker who drops between or alongside the centre-backs to build a +1 against a front press. The Kerala Blasters captain has had a decent time so far in the ISL.
Tactical fit. Against a physical, direct side, India’s biggest risk is losing the ball in the first phase and facing a transition.
A press-resistant number 6 who scans before receiving and finds the half-spaces behind the opposition midfield would give India a cleaner route out of the defensive third.
Jamil’s likely reasoning. Vibin lacks recovery pace and duel aggression. His value lies in screening angles and anticipation.
The coach has picked three centrally operating players with Thapa, Lalrinliana Hnamte and Tomba Singh. With Apuia injured, though, the absence of a specialist #6 is the squad’s clearest structural gap.
2. Gurmeet Singh (GK, NorthEast United)
Form and profile. Gurmeet is a sweeper-keeper. Data credits him with a 90.5% save rate, +1.4 goals prevented, and about 91% high-claim success. Those are exceptional numbers.
Tactical fit. Aerial command matters against a team that will test India with crosses and second balls. His willingness to leave the six-yard box would also help a defence that may need to play higher.
Jamil’s likely reasoning. This is the weakest “snub” on the list. Jamil has gone with Hrithik Tiwari, Som Kumar and Vishal Kaith, so he is looking at the post-Gurpreet picture.
Long-range distribution, which is “still developing,” also counts against Gurmeet. But the numbers, though – this is the pick that needs the most explaining.
Also Read: Top five players missing from Indian football team ahead of upcoming friendlies against New Zealand
3. Bipin Singh (Winger, East Bengal FC)
Form and profile. Bipin is a blind-side box crasher whose game is far-post runs and diagonal channel runs. From a cumulative 0.86 xG, the veteran scored 2 goals.
That suggests his ability to convert even half-chances into a productive number.
Tactical fit. Against a defence that will be physically superior, an off-the-shoulder runner who attacks cutbacks gives India a counter-attacking route that doesn’t depend on winning duels. He also tracks back and counter-presses.
Jamil’s likely reasoning. The forward group of David Lalhlansanga, Edmund Lalrindika, Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Muhammad Suhail and Ryan Williams is crowded.
Bipin’s profile overlaps with players Jamil has already settled on, and his age may count against a window used to evaluate options.
4. Konsam Sanathoi Singh (Winger, Punjab FC)
Form and profile. Sanathoi is a half-space infiltrator who receives on the turn and carries. The 19-year-old is leading the charts for assists provided in the ISL with 2 assists so far and also a goal to his name.
Tactical fit. Few of India’s players carry the ball through lines, and a between-the-lines runner would suit a New Zealand side that may sit compact and drop off.
His counter-pressing would help in the first five seconds after a turnover.
Jamil’s likely reasoning. Jamil’s public emphasis is discipline. A ball-carrier who wins the ball back high is useful, but a carrier who loses it in midfield exposes a back four missing Anwar Ali.
Jamil may simply prefer the safer option, considering his age.
5. Puitea (CM, Odisha FC)
Form and profile. Puitea is the captain of Odisha. He is a balanced central midfielder who controls the middle third through positioning and diagonal switches.
His defensive recoveries feed second-phase distribution that moves play forward without forcing it.
Tactical fit. Against a side that will press in waves, India needs someone to calm the tempo after winning the ball. A midfielder who screens in front of the back line and then switches play quickly can stop India’s transitions from becoming transitions for New Zealand.
He is also a senior voice in a squad without Gurpreet and Anwar Ali.
Jamil’s likely reasoning. At 28, age is not a credible reason. The likeliest answer is that this is a development-minded window providing the players’ exposure against high-profile teams and thereby developing a competitive side for the long term.
Conclusion
Bipin is the most defensible omission, given the crowded forward line. Gurmeet and Sanathoi are judgement calls.
Vibin and Puitea are the two that look hard to justify on structure alone, because they address the squad’s clearest weakness.
If India lose the midfield battle in Auckland, those two absences, rather than any winger’s, will be the ones people point to.
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