Gokulam Kerala sign Indian women's team captain Ashalata Devi

The defender will ply her trade for the club in the Indian Women's League 2022-23 season.

Indian Women's League outfit Gokulam Kerala FC have completed the signing of Indian national team captain Ashalata Devi, Khel Now can confirm. The 28-year-old is all set to join the squad for the 2022-23 IWL season.

"Gokulam Kerala FC have completed the signing of defender Ashalata Devi. She will join the club for the upcoming season," a source close to the developments informed Khel Now.

Devi most recently plied her trade with Sethu FC in the IWL. With them, she won the tournament in the 2018-19 season by defeating Manipur Police 1-3 in the finals -- thereby also winning her first IWL trophy that year.

About Ashalata Devi

Ashalata Devi currently captains the Indian women's national team. She plays as a centre-back and is widely regarded as one of the best in the position in Asia. She was also one of the three nominees for the AFC Women's Player of the Year in 2019, the same year she when she had won the the AIFF 2019 Player of the Year award. Ashalata Devi has played with clubs such as New Radiant, Rising Student Club, KRYPHSA FC and Sethu FC so far.

She has also played an integral part of the Indian women's football team that won four consecutive SAFF Championships from 2012 to 2019.

About Gokulam Kerala FC recently

Earlier in 2021, the Malabarians were nominated by the AIFF to represent India in the AFC Women's Club Championship 2020-21. This was the pilot edition of the tournament. As a result, GKFC also became India's first club to play in the competition. There, under head coach Priya PV's mentorship, they finished third in the tournament. Nonetheless, they ended it on a high as they won their final match 3-1 against Uzbekistani side FC Bunyodkor.

Apart from this, Gokulam Kerala are currently the defending champions of the Indian Women's League -- having won the trophy in the 2019-20 season. Subsequently, they're also the champions of the latest edition of the Kerala Women's League, the 2021-22 season.

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