Goalkeeper and experienced campaigner Mithun V will lead Kerala in the 76th Santosh Trophy National Football Championship. This is Mithun's eighth Santosh Trophy. Coach PB Ramesh has almost retained the same squad which won the silver in the National Games held in Gujarat last month. 12 members of the 22-member squad were part of the National Games squad.
"We have tried to form a team giving equal importance to experience and youthfulness," said coach PB Ramesh. This is his first assignment as a coach at Santosh Trophy.
16 members of the Kerala squad will be competing in the Santosh Trophy for the first time while only three from the last year's title-winning squad have been retained. Apart from captain Mithun, Vignesh M and Nijo Gilbert are the two other players who were part of Kerala's title winning squad in the last Santosh Trophy.
"Most of the players from the last team have turned to be professionals as they managed to find an ISL or I-league team," said Ramesh who added that the new players are capable enough to repeat the same performance that of last year. "We don't have a lack of talent in Kerala. Tournaments like KPL have made the team selection much easier," he said.
Squad: Goalkeepers: Mithun V (SBI), Ajmal P (FC Areekode), Alkesh Raj TV (Sai Kollam)
Defenders: Manoj M (Kerala United), Shinu R (KSEB), Jerito J (KSEB), Belgin Bolster (KSEB), Amin K (FC Areekode), Muhammad Salim U (KSEB), Sachu CB (Kerala United), Akhil J Chandran (Gokulam Kerala)
Midfield: Rashid M (KSEB), Rizwan Ali (FC Areekode), Nijo Gilbert (KSEB), Ajeesh P (AG's Kerala), Vysakh Mohanan (Gokulam Kerala), Hrishidat (Gokulam), Gifty C Gracious (KSEB), Abdul Rahim KK (Basco FC)
Forwards: Jol Paul J (KSEB), Vignesh M (KSEB), Naresh B (Muthoot FA)
Reserve players: Hajmal S, Asif OM, Sriraj K, Arjun V
Coach: Ramesh PB; Assistant coach: Bineesh Kiran; Goalkeeper coach: Hamid KK; Manager Mohammad Rafeeq
