Kerala Blasters sign Ritwik Das from Real Kashmir

The 23-year-old will be a welcome addition to the Yellow Army's exciting midfield.

Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Kerala Blasters announced on Wednesday that they have successfully completed the signing of Indian youngster Ritwik Das from Real Kashmir.

"Ritwik Das is a Blaster! Join us in welcoming the young midfielder to the KBFC family," the club's official announcement on social media read.

In the past couple of seasons, 23-year-old Ritwik Das was a regular at Real Kashmir under coach David Robertson. In the 2017-18 season, he scored four goals in 13 appearances for the club in the I-League 2nd Division, as they emerged winners in only their second year of existence. The title win helped them gain promotion to the first division, since when he has made 26 more appearances for the club, also registering two assists.

The West Bengal-born midfielder will be a welcome addition to the Kerala Blasters and is likely to compete for a first-team spot, with Sahal Abdul Samad and Jeakson Singh among others. The Kochi outfit have already announced the extension of Jessel Carneiro's contract as well as the signing of goalkeeper Albino Gomes, with more signings and contract extensions set to follow in the coming weeks.

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After reaching the final of the ISL twice in the first three seasons, Kerala Blasters failed to repeat their good performances in the seasons campaigns followed. Since 2016, they are yet to qualify for the playoffs and in the 2019-20 season, they finished at a lowly seventh place with just 19 points from 18 matches (four wins, seven draws, seven defeats). The ongoing poor run of form has reportedly resulted in the club shifting their focus to development players, as confirmed by Ritwik's signing.

The likes of Rahul KP, Sahal, Jeakson, Nongdamba Naorem and Abdul Hakku are expected to play important roles for the team in the next season, as hinted by new head coach Kibu Vicuna himself in a recent interview. "I watched all of Kerala Blasters’ matches from last season and understood that we have good young players. This will definitely be taken into account when we are making plans for the new season. With them we will try to build the best team possible," he had said.