Ryan Williams & Abneet Bharti join Indian Football Team camp ahead of Bangladesh clash

The foreign-based duo will join the India camp in Bengaluru in the upcoming days.

The 31-year-old Bengaluru FC winger Ryan Williams and the 27-year-old Academia del Balompie Bolivia (ABB) defender Abneet Bhari are all set to join the Indian National Football team camp in the upcoming days ahead of their AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers match against Bangladesh.

However, the duo’s names are not in the initial list of the probables announced by the AIFF earlier this week.

Ryan Williams is officially Indian now after receiving his Indian passport and is currently waiting for NOC from Football Australia. While many have started taking credit, the biggest credit goes to Ryan himself, his family, local friends and KSA president who helped him…

— Ashish Negi (@7negiashish) November 6, 2025

Ryan Williams’ officially an Indian passport holder

As reported by Khel Now on Inside Indian Football, Williams has since then started his formalities for the passport processing and is now officially an Indian after receiving his passport.

However, currently, he is in the final stages of getting an NOC clearance from Football Australia, which takes about ten days. Once the processing is complete, the winger will join the camp at Bengaluru.

If they live up to the expectations in the camp, then they will travel to Dhaka for the match,” AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey told The Telegraph.

Williams’ Indian connection comes from his mother, who was born into an Anglo-Indian family from Mumbai. The winger has extensive experience in professional football, having played for clubs such as Fulham and Portsmouth before joining Bengaluru FC in 2023.

With Sunil Chhetri‘s exclusion from the squad, Williams can definitely bridge the gaps in the Blue Tigers’ struggle in the final third and add more teeth to the attack.

The unheard tale of Abneet Bharti

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ABNEET BHARTI (@abneetbharti)

The Nepal-born defender, Abneet Bharti, has also been called up by Khalid Jamil to reinforce the Indian defensive unit. Bharti, during his early days in India, played for Shastri FC of New Delhi. He then moved to the youth academy of Singapore’s Geylang International.

Later, after playing for multiple clubs across various leagues in Poland, Spain and Portugal. He then joined Kerala Blasters FC for a brief stint before moving to Argentina, the Czech Republic, and now Bolivia, where he plays for Academia del Balompie Bolivia in the top tier.

The addition of the Bharti, who has extensive exposure in Europe and America, will provide Khalid Jamil with a quality centre-back partner for Anwar Ali to mitigate the defensive flaws.

Also Read: Khalid Jamil announces probables for AFC Asian Cup Qualifier against Bangladesh

Khalid Jamil announces probables for AFC Asian Cup Qualifier against Bangladesh

The Indian football team will lock horns against the Bengal Tigers on the 18th of November, at Dhaka, and the preparation camp will start on the 6th of November, Thursday, at Bengaluru.

Though the Blue Tigers are officially out of contention for a spot in the AFC Asian Cup 2027, to be held in Saudi Arabia, the match against Bangladesh would be an opportunity for head coach Khalid Jamil to experiment with the squad with different players and rebuild a strong side.

India 23-member probable squad

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Hrithik Tiwari, Sahil.

Defenders: Akash Mishra, Anwar Ali, Bikash Yumnam, Hmingthanmawia Ralte, Muhammed Uvais, Pramveer, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan.

Midfielders: Ashique Kuruniyan, Brison Fernandes, Lalremtluanga Fanai, Macarton Louis Nickson, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Nikhil Prabhu, Suresh Singh Wangjam.

Forwards: Irfan Yadwad, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Mohammed Sanan, Rahim Ali, Vikram Partap Singh.

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.