New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) The Indian men's football team is all set to hold a camp in Kolkata ahead of next month's international friendlies. The camp will be set up from August 15 and training sessions will start from August 16.

The last time India had a camp in Kolkata was in 2006 before the FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Saudi Arabia.

"The camp will be conducted under a secured bio-bubble adhering to the laid-down health parameters in wake of the current pandemic situation. The contingent will also be undergoing regular testing," said the All India Football Federation (AIFF) in a statement.

Head coach Igor Stimac named his initial list of 23 probables leaving out players from ATK Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC, owing to their commitments in the AFC Cup in the Maldives. Players from both clubs will join the squad immediately after finishing their club commitments in the continental tournament.

"I am very happy to meet with my players again and get ready for the upcoming challenges forward together," the 53-year-old Croatian said.
"We wish both the Indian clubs good luck and hope they do well in the AFC Cup. Meanwhile, we need to check on the rest of the players who will kick-off the camp with us next week, and choose the best ones until the rest of the players join us," added Stimac, who coached Croatia to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The squad:

Goalkeepers: Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem and Vishal Kaith.
Defenders: Ashish Rai, Seriton Fernandes, Adil Khan, Chinglensana Singh, Narender, Rahul Bheke, Akash Mishra and Mandar Rao Dessai.
Midfielders: Lalengmawia, Glan Martins, Jeakson Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Sahal Abdul Samad, Halicharan Narzary, Bipin Singh and Yasir Mohammed.
Forwards: Rahul KP, Farukh Choudhary, Ishan Pandita and Rahim Ali.
The ATK Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC players who will be joining the camp after their AFC Cup duties are as follows: -
Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu
Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Ashutosh Mehta, Sandesh Jhingan and Subhasish Bose.
Midfielders: Udanta Singh, Pronay Halder, Suresh Singh Wangjam and Ashqiue Kuruniyan
Forwards: Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh and Sunil Chhetri.