Kolkata : Mohun Bagan Super Giants have announced squad for Calcutta Football League 2026-27.
After a disappointing season, where they only managed to win the IFA Shield, Marinere now eye a strong start to CFL under coach Bastab Roy. One of the main goal is to strengthen the team understanding, as some fresh bunch of players have joined the squad. They began the practice session from today at Mohun Bagan Ground from 4:30 PM.
Dippendu Biswas, and new entrants Tanmay Ghosh, Raj Basfore joined the team today. Sahil Inamder joined with medical report. Another new face Sayan Banerjee who created heat in transfer market coming from East Bengal was absent along with Kiyan Nassiri, Abhishek Suryavanshi and Suhail Bhat. Kiyan and Abhishek will join on 15th while Suhail from 18th.
The Mohun Bagan reserve team’s goal became clear on the first day of practice before the new season, and there is no shortage of preparation. The entire team is desperate to prepare themselves before the start of the league.
After first day practice, coach Bastab Roy said, “If you want to play in the league, you have to play seriously. So we have started practicing in advance. This will give us a lot of time. Our goal is to prepare well in the pre-season.” Regarding the footballers who have just come after playing in the ISL, he said, “Those who have played in the ISL will have to be given at least two weeks. The league ended on May 21. So they will join the team step by step. However, workouts have already been sent to them, so they will come prepared.”
Bastab also spoke about the ISL players mentality and motivation playing in CFL. He said, “They have not played regularly in the ISL. If they play in the Kolkata League, they will get a chance to prove themselves again and from there they will be able to return to the ISL. This is positive for them. No one was brought here to demotivate them.” Although there is still some uncertainty about the format of the league, he is emphasizing on preparation. In his words, “I do not know right now in which format the league will be held. Our first goal is to prepare well. Once we get the format, we will then make further plans.”
At the same time, Bastab Roy has also spoken out about the league draw or ‘lottery’ process of last season. He said, “What happened last time in the name of lottery was not a lottery at all. I request the IFA to make the lottery like a real lottery. It should be done in a transparent manner like the lottery is done all over the world. Picking names from a tray and announcing them is not the right method.”
Mohun Bagan footballer Dippendu Biswas wants to overcome the regret of not winning the CFL title for a long time and take to the field with the goal of becoming the champion this time. After the first day of practice, he said, “We haven’t been the Kolkata League champion for a long time. I hope we will be the champion this time. This is our dream. There is no such thing as senior-junior, wherever I get the opportunity, I have to play there and improve myself further.”
Regarding not getting regular opportunities in the ISL, his clear answer was, “Of course, the goal will be to play well in the Kolkata League and make it to the ISL again. We have won the ISL Shield and IFA Shield back to back. This time the goal is to win the Kolkata League. Along with that, it is also our responsibility to motivate the juniors.”
The way the Kolkata League has been, sometimes there are matches for 17 days. Sometimes you have to play in 3-day intervals. However, Dippendu has no complaints about the irregular schedule. In his words, “There is nothing difficult about it. You have to play the way the schedule comes. You have to be ready at all times.” This time, Mohun Bagan will play the league match at home, which is giving the team extra motivation. Dippendu said, “The fans will come to the home ground and support us. This is extra energy for us. Mohun Bagan starts every season with the goal of becoming the champion, and this season is no exception. Having coach Bastab Roy is also a big motivation for us.” All in all, the Mohun Bagan camp is confident in the new season. The goal is only one, to bring back the Kolkata League trophy. And with that goal in mind, Ashish Rai has been registered for the domestic league.
Mohun Bagan Super Giants squad for CFL 2026-27 :
Syed Zahid Hussain Bukhari, Priyansh Dubey, Deepprobhat Ghosh, Nandan Roy, Raj Basfore, Sahajid Gazi, Roshan Singh, Subal Tudu, Sayan Banerjee, Kian Nasiri, Dipendu Biswas, Sahil Inamdar, Suhail Ahmed Bhat, Umer Muthar KP, Aditya Mondal, Sandeep Malik, Abhishek Suryavanshi, Mingma Sherpa, Aditya Adhikari, Pallujam Rohan Singh, Gogocha Chungkham, Bivan Jyoti Laska, Thamsal Tongsin, Rohit Singh Yendrembam, Karan Rai, Rajdeep Pal, Tanmay Ghosh, Asish Rai, Mohammed Sarfaraz.
