Indian men’s football team head coach Igor Stimac announced a 23-member squad for the 49th King’s Cup to be held from September 7-10, 2023 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Sunil Chhetri has been rested for the tournament so that he could be present for the birth of his first child and the star forward and talismatic captain be back in the Indian team for the Asian Games.
Brandon Fernandes and Suresh Wangjam return to the national side.
India (ranked 99th) will face Iraq (ranked 70th) in the semi-final on September 7 at 16:00 IST at the 700th Anniversary Stadium. Hosts Thailand (ranked 113th) take on Lebanon (ranked 100th) in the other semi-final at 19:00 IST on the same day.
The semi-final winners will contest the final on September 10, while the losers will play the third-place play-off.
India won bronze when they last participated in the King’s Cup in 2019.
King’s Cup 2023: Schedule
| Date | Match | Time |
| September 7, Thursday | Iraq vs India | 4:00 PM IST |
| September 7, Thursday | Thailand vs Lebanon | 7:00 PM IST |
| September 10, Sunday | Third-place play-off | 4:00 PM IST |
| September 10, Sunday | Final | 7:00 PM IST |
India’s 23-member squad for the 49th King’s Cup 2023:
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Gurmeet Singh.
Defenders: Asish Rai, Nikhil Poojary, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Mehtab Singh, Lalchungnunga, Akash Mishra, Subhasish Bose.
Midfielders: Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Brandon Fernandes, Sahal Abdul Samad, Anirudh Thapa, Rohit Kumar, Ashique Kuruniyan, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte.
Forwards: Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali, Rahul KP.