Three India U-20 players plying their trade overseas ft. Yohaan Benjamin
India U-20 gear up for AFC U-20 Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers
The India U-20 national football team are gearing up for an important month ahead of them, with the Blue Colts set to participate in the qualifiers for the 2027 AFC U-20 Asian Cup. In preparations for those major qualifiers, Mahesh Gawali’s side will be playing four friendly games as they look to improve their match sharpness and test themselves against some tricky Asian opponents.
Gawali has named a strong squad that will be involved in these friendlies, which is an indication of the kind of core he might be looking at potentially featuring in the qualifiers ahead.
What has been really eye-catching about his named squad for the upcoming games is the frontline, which actually contains some players who are playing outside of India.
Indeed, there are some talented young guns who are currently plying their trade outside of Indian football and trying to make a name for themselves in foreign nations instead.
Here, we look at the three India U-20 players who are currently playing outside of India.
3. Hateem Ali
An interesting call-up for the India U-20 side for the upcoming match is that of young striker Hateem Ali, who is actually a UAE-born player who has chosen to represent India in the international stage instead.
The 18-year-old forward is currently playing for the Shabab Al Ahli Dubai team’s under-19 and under-21 sides, having come through their youth academy and he made one appearance in their 2025-26 campaign as well.
Ali has definitely learnt many trades about football coming up through the Dubai’s club system, developing himself into an unpredictable and clinical striker. He will, of course, need to prove himself as a possible long-term asset for the Blue Colts by performing strongly for them.
Ali has to capitalize on the opportunities he receives, being clinical in finishing off chances and bringing unpredictability to the Indian frontline to raise their chances of troubling opposition defenders.
2. Agastya Bhat
Mahesh Gawali has also added young forward Agastya Bhat to his squad for the upcoming matches because of his choice to play for the Indian youth teams. Bhat has been playing in Spain since 2022, when he joined Atletico Marbella – a side that currently plays in the sixth tier of Spanish football and the top tier of the Andalusia football.
The 19-year-old forward is actually a pretty decisive attacking player who can excel in the frontline for his side.
He has played for Atletico Marbella’s senior and youth teams, and last season he scored six goals in eight matches in the Andalusia Juvenil (youth) league. Bhat was also able to score three goals for the senior Atletico Marbella side in the 2025-26 season, proving his clinical nature in the final third.
Bhat will, however, need to replicate similar numbers to inspire the India U-20 side to take the fight against their opponents in the upcoming U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers and inspire them to qualify for the continental competition.
1. Yohaan Benjamin
Yohaan Benjamin, of course, has already played for the India U-20 side in the past and has some idea of how to operate alongside the other members of the squad.
The 18-year-old winger had began his career at the Minerva Academy, before also playing for the Shillong Lajong academy at the U-17 and U-21 level – playing for them in the U-17 Youth League. In 2025, however, Benjamin took a big step in his young career and opted to move to Slovenia to join their club NK Bravo’s youth team.
He played for the club at the NextGen Liga, the top-tier youth competition in the country and even helped NK Bravo win it.
Benjamin has also played for the club at the UEFA Youth league and has already amassed the experience of playing in major competitions. Benjamin will look to be an unpredictable threat for India U-20 in their qualifiers.
He’ll aim to use his speed and tricky playing style to be a real thorn for the defenders, but needs to be decisive with his final-third passing and shooting to be able to elevate India’s attacking threat and help them dominate their way to success.
Who is the head coach of India U-20?
Mahesh Gawali is the head coach of India U-20.
Which players playing abroad have been called up for India U-20?
Agastya Bhat, Hateem Ali and Yohaan Benjamin are players playing abroad who have been called for India U-20.
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.
Uttiyo is a sports journalist who has been covering football since 2016. He is an avid football enthusiast who spends hours either watching the beautiful game or writing about it. He has covered various tournaments for Khel Now, such as the FIFA U17 World Cup, ISL, I-League & AFC Champions League.