KOLKATA: East Bengal FC will kick-start their Indian Women’s League (IWL) campaign with a match against Gokulam Kerala FC in Ahmedabad on April 26.
East Bengal’s women’s team under coach Sujata Kar — which will debut in the tournament — has been placed in Group A along with defending champions Gokulam Kerala FC, Mata Rukmani Devi FC, HOPS FC, Misaka United FC, Kahaani FC, Sports Odisha and Mumbai Knights FC. The Group B consists of the other eight teams.
The top four teams from each group will qualify for the knockouts, while the top eight teams will earn direct berths in next season’s IWL.
East Bengal team — known as ‘Moshal girls’ — made it the IWL on the back of winning the Calcutta Women’s Football League, also known as the Kanyashree Cup, in January. Kar’s team remained unbeaten in the Kanyashree Cup, winning all their matches, and scoring a whopping 64 goals.
Of the 23-member squad announced on Saturday by the East Bengal management for the IWL, eleven players have been retained from their Kanyashree Cup-winning team while the others have been picked through trials.
Young forward Sulanjana Raul, who is with the Indian squad for the upcoming Women’s U-17 AFC Asian Cup qualifier (Round 1), may join the East Bengal squad in Ahmedabad after serving her national duties.
“We have brought in some fresh faces for the tournament. The girls have been training together for the past few weeks. Our opening match will be difficult as Gokulam are the defending champions and have some of the best players in the country. However, the girls are determined to showcase their talent on the big stage,” East Bengal coach Kar watold the EBFC media team.
EAST BENGAL SQUAD FOR IWL
