Punjab FC squad for Super League

Punjab FC announced their 27-member squad for the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) season today.

The side will start their ISL campaign against Jamshedpur FC on February 21 in Jamshedpur and will play their first home game on March 9 against NorthEast United FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi.

In his second season, the team’s head coach, Panagiotis Dilmperis, has picked a balanced squad featuring young and experienced legs. He continued with the core from the last ISL season and the team that played the Durand Cup and AIFF Super Cup. “We are relying more on consistency and team combination. The batch has been practising together for a while and very well aware of what needs to be delivered on the field,” said Dilmperis.

Dani Ramirez, Samir Zeljkovic, Nsungusi Jnr Effiong, Bede Amarachi Osuji and Pablo Renan Dos Santos will be the foreign signings of the squad. The squad also comprises seven players from the academy, including Muhammad Suhail F, Pramveer Singh, Manglengthang Kipgen, Vishal Yadav, Singamayum Shami, who have already made their senior team debuts, Ayush Deshwal and Thoungamba Singh Usham.

The head coach will be supported by assistant coach Konstantinos Katsaras and Indian assistant coach Sankarlal Chakraborty along with Papaioannou Ioannis as the strength and conditioning coach and Vinay Singh as the goalkeeping coach.

“We will be surely giving an extra little effort this season, as the side is having a good combination. We have worked upon using more of our midfielders and will focus on the basic of sticking to the ball possession,” added Ramirez. The goalkeeping department will see the arrival of Arshdeep Singh. He is joined by Muheet Shabir and Ayush Deshwal, giving Punjab FC a well-rounded unit equipped to handle the demands of a long and competitive season. On defence, the side boasts of a robust and versatile line-up. Bijoy Varghese, Muhammed Uvais, Pramveer Singh, Nongmaikapam Suresh Meitei and Khaiminthang Lhungdim bring physicality and composure, while Pablo Renan Dos Santos adds experience to the backline. Young defenders such as Likmabam Rakesh Meitei, Leon Augustine, and Thoungamba Singh Usham further strengthen the defensive structure. In midfield, Punjab FC possess a dynamic blend of creativity, control, and energy with Ramirez alongside Samir Zeljkovic and Vinit Rai. Princeton Rebello’s attacking instincts complement the work rate of Ricky Shabong, Manglenthang Kipgen, Nikhil Prabhu, and Singamayum Shami.

“The side has retained some of the best players in the squad. I come up with a pretty much confidence on each player and playing as a unit is our main aim. We are representing a state known for producing one of the best footballers for the country,” said skipper Nikhil Prabhu.

Strikers Nsungusi Effiong and Bede Osuji will provide strength and finishing ability in the final third, while emerging talents such as Ninthoi, Suhail, and Bikash Singh add pace, movement and unpredictability. Vishal Yadav and Ranjeet Singh Pandre round off a unit capable of creating scoring opportunities.