Team India, who started their training camp in Kolkata already, has played a warm-up match against ATK Mohun Bagan earlier this week and will play 2 more practice matches this month as part of their preparation for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers to be held in Kolkata in June 2022.

This friendly match will take place on 17 May 2022 in Kolkata, West Bengal.

The All-Stars team is compromised of the best players from the Hero I-League and the Hero Santosh Trophy. The team will be coached by Indian Arrows men’s team’s goalkeeping coach Abhijit Mondal.

Ranjeet played a crucial part in Kenkre’s late fightback and thus has been awarded a place in the All-Stars squad. Ranjeet is the top goal scorer for the Mumbai-based club in their maiden Hero I-League season. The lanky forward from Chhattisgarh found the back of the net 3 times and assisted once throughout the season.

On being selected for the All-Stars team, the forward said, “It is a great honor to be a part of the All-Stars team. I am really happy that we will face the national team. This season I have given everything for the club and my teammates are the ones who helped me in scoring goals.”

“I am really thankful to Kenkre and the management, head coach Akhil Kothari and his staff, and my teammates for helping me both on and off the pitch. I am really grateful to them”, concluded Ranjeet.

21-member All-Stars Squad:

Goalkeepers: Bhaskar Roy, Shubham Dhas.

Defenders: Manoj Mohammad, Mohammed Salah, Chungnunga Lal, Lalramchullova, Suresh Meitei, Asheer Akhtar, Gurmukh Singh.

Midfielders: Faisal Ali, Sweden Fernandes, William Pauliankhum, Freddy Lallawmawma, Konsam Phalguni Singh, Maheson Singh, Jijo Joseph, Kabir Nath, Jiteshwor Singh.

Forwards: Ranjeet Singh Pandre, Parthib Sundar Gogoi.

Credits: Kenkre FC Media

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Mumbai’s 5-year absence in the Hero I-League ended with Kenkre FC participating in the 2021–22 season. City of Dream’s last representative were Mumbai FC, who got defuncted after relegation from then country’s top division, I-League in 2017.

Historic debut in the I-League:

After former champions Chennai City FC failed to meet the criteria to play in the I-League, the league committee and the AIFF blessed I-League second division runners-up Kenkre FC and allowed them to participate in the Hero I-League 2021-22 season. 22 years after the club’s inception, on March 4, 2022, 3 months after the scheduled date due to the COVID-induced break, the Mumbai-based club kicked off their maiden Hero I-League campaign. Kenkre did well in the first match against Real Kashmir FC as they managed to earn a point. Vijay Nagappan scored the historic first goal for the club.

The initial hurdles:

Kenkre failed to replicate the heroics of the first match as they went on to lose the next 4 matches in a row. In these four matches, the boys from Mumbai conceded 14 goals and scored only twice. These two goals were scored by Lester Fernandes and Akeraj Martins in their 6-2 loss to defending champions Gokulam Kerala FC. Positivity in these 4 matches? Title contenders Mohammedan SC struggled and scored only once. In the next match, Kenkre faced fellow newcomers Rajasthan United and the match ended goalless. Kenkre was unlucky not to win this match.

Continuous improvement in continuous impediment:

After the draw against Rajasthan United, Kenkre lost 6 matches and ended phase one with only 2 points. But in these 6 matches, Kenkre showed character and fighting spirit. All these 6 matches were close and the margin of defeat in all these matches was just one goal. The Akhil Kothari-led side found a new goalscorer in Ranjeet Pandre. In defense, Nam and Suraj Negi were regular names in commentators’ complements. Both the club’s goalkeepers Padam Chhetri and Tenzin Samudop were brilliant between the sticks. Vijay, Akeraj, Siddharth, Aman, Khongsit, and Aniket were the creators in the middle of the park. The lack of experience, the lack of foreign recruitments, and the absence of a leader were obvious to all. But Kenkre players and head coach Akhil Kothari were stubborn to change everyone’s perspectives and they did!

The revival:

The improvement was quite evident in the latter stages of Phase 1 when players passed quite confidently and showed more attacking intent. It eventually did pay off in phase 2 in the relegation group, with their back against the wall, Kenkre picked their first-ever win in the I-League in the 3-0 win against Sudeva. This massive win was a major boost for the Kenkre squad as they remained unbeaten for three more games and got very close to avoiding relegation. The likes of Nam, Zacharie, Akeraj & Aniket Panchal performed their hearts out and helped the club in a huge manner. The pairing of Nam & Zacharie solidified the defence and Aniket started controlling the game in the middle of the park hence minimizing the opposition goal threats. Akeraj with Vijay & Ranjeet formed a good attacking trio in the final third.

A late shot at survival:

In 4 out of 5 matches in phase 2, Kenkre found the back of the net on 5 occasions with 5 different goal scorers. With 3 wins and a draw, Kenkre came out all guns blazing with a late charge to avoid relegation and forced the relegation race to the final matchday of phase 2. Kenkre fell short by a goal in the last match and faced a heartbreaking defeat to Indian Arrows.

Even in this tough season, Kenkre promoted many young and local players. Kenkre gave a platform to many Mumbai players who did not have the expertise to play at such a high level before. For players like Pravitto, Yash, Suraj Negi, Aniket Panchal, Arya Gandharv, Aman Gaikwad, Aravindraj, Al-Azhar Delhiwala, and Siddharth Colaco this season was their first-ever season in a top-level national competition. The club also provided a huge platform to young coach Akhil Kothari.

Inexperience, lack of leading figures, shoestring budget, and a COVID-induced break were the major challenges for Kenkre yet their maiden appearance in the I-League will be remembered for their remarkable turnaround and their determination. Despite all this, Kenkre’s story will inspire many upcoming football players from Mumbai and hopefully more clubs will show positive interest in playing in the I-League and I-League qualifiers in the future.

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With Real Kashmir’s 1–1 draw against TRAU FC in the other game, the defeat means Kenkre could not surpass the Snow Leopards and finish at the bottom of the table.

Kenkre head coach Akhil Kothari made just one change to the team which won 1-0 against Real Kashmir 3 days ago. In came Yash and replaced Ranjeet for today’s clash who took a knock in the last game.

Indian Arrows kicked off the first half and after dealing with the pressure from the opponents in the opening minutes, Kenkre got their first chance to open the scoring through Vijay. In the 8th minute, Vijay took a shot outside of the box but his shot went wide.

In the 17th minute, Kenkre’s Akeraj got a good opportunity to give them the lead but failed. A good ball from Aniket found Akeraj who took a shot but it was off target.

In the 29th minute, Indian Arrows earned a free kick on the left side of the box. Parthib took a shot which was brilliantly saved by our no. 1, Tenzin.

In the 40th minute, Kenkre’s Akeraj was forced to get off the field due to injury and was replaced by Khongsit. Just before the break, Khongsit put a good ball into the box which met Pravitto’s head. He was heavily marked and his close-range header just went wide. The first half ended in a stalemate. Elsewhere, Real Kashmir were winning 1-0 against TRAU FC at halftime.

In the second half, Kenkre stepped up their tempo and started playing attacking football.

In the 57th minute, Kenkre earned a free-kick just outside of the box. Aravind whipped it in which was missed by the Arrows goalkeeper but neither Yash nor Kiran were able to get at the end of it as another chance went begging.

In the 69th minute, Yash got a chance inside the box and took a shot but the Arrows goalkeeper denied him the opportunity to give Kenkre the lead.

In the other game, TRAU FC equalized in the 70th minute. Knowing that, Kenkre pressed on for the winning goal, Khongsit took a shot in the 72nd minute but it went wide.

In the 88th minute, Kenkre’s Nam displayed top defensive action as he cleared the ball off the line after some attacking moves from the Indian Arrows.

In the 90th minute, Kenkre tried to move up the field in search of victory which would have guaranteed safety however against the run of play Arrows managed to sneak in a goal through substitute Himanshu to break the Mumbai outfit’s hearts.

After the goal, Kenkre tried to level up in added time but failed to score as the game ended in a loss for them.

FT: Indian Arrows 1-0 Kenkre FC

Credits: Kenkre FC Media

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Kenkre head coach Akhil Kothari made 2 changes to the starting lineup that drew with TRAU FC last time out. In came Pravitto and Tenzin who replaced Siddharth and Padam for today’s match.

Real Kashmir FC started the proceedings but both sides took a slow and steady approach to the game in the early minutes.

Akhil had to make a forced substitution early in the game as Ranjeet got injured and Yash replaced him.

Kenkre got their first chance in the 36th minute of the game. Akeraj took a shot from a distance but his long-range effort went over the bar.

The best chance of the game for Kenkre came in the 38th minute. Vijay put the ball into the box from a corner kick, Pravitto headed it well but it took a bounce before the Real Kashmir keeper and went above the bar.

Just before the half-time whistle, Kenkre’s Nam made his presence known in the defense and got the better of Real Kashmir’s Bernard who missed the target.

The referee blew the whistle and the first half ended in a goalless draw.

In the second half, it looked like the Kenkre head coach had a persuasive conversation in the dressing room during the break. Kenkre approached the second half with a lot of determination and aggressive intent.

Kenkre’s Suraj put a cross in the 55th minute and Aravindraj took a shot but Bilal collected it to keep the scoreline nil.

A minute after the hour mark, Suraj put another lofty cross into the box, Yash headed it in but his on-target attempt was cleared by Real Kashmir goalkeeper Bilal Khan.

In the 63rd minute, Vijay on the right side dribbled past the Real Kashmir defense and took a shot, but his curling effort was deflected off the woodwork.

In response, Real Kashmir went on in attack, hit the crossbar twice through Tiago & Bernard attempted to open the scoring only to see their efforts put to rest by the crossbar in the 68th & 70th minute respectively.

In the 78th minute, Kenkre earned a corner and Vijay took the shot. The ball came from the corner and Khongsit took a shot on the edge of the box which was headed home by Aravindraj as he gave Kenkre the lead.

Real Kashmir FC tried hard to get back into the game after going down but couldn’t find the leveler as the game ended in a win for Kenkre.

The win comes with a fresh breather for Kenkre. The battle for saving relegation intensifies and Kenkre FC will leave no stones unturned when they face Indian Arrows on Indian Arrows on 4 May 2022.

Full Time: Kenkre 1-0 Real Kashmir FC

Credits: Kenkre FC Media

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TRAU FC started the proceedings and enjoyed early possession. Kenkre goalkeeper Padam was called into action early in the game as he made a tremendous save in the 6th minute to deny TRAU getting an early lead.

TRAU again tested Padam in the 20th minute, but his resilience bore fruits.

After dealing with the initial pressure, Kenkre kept restraint in the middle and in the back and negated several attempts by the opponents.

Kenkre’s resilient defense did its job as the first half ended goallessly.

In the second half, Kenkre entered the pitch with much determination.

Kenkre’s head coach Akhil brought Pravitto in place of Siddharth in the 55th minute.

In the 58th minute, on a counter-attack, Kenkre’s Akeraj made a decent run in the right and passed the ball into the box, but it missed Ranjeet by a few inches, and the TRAU goalkeeper collected the ball.

In the 69th minute, Padam denied TRAU’s Sapam Meitei from taking the lead by stretching his left foot and stopping the ball.

Ten minutes before the regulation time, Ranjeet had a golden chance to win the game. The Kenkre forward made a good run into the box and took a shot from a close range, but the TRAU goalkeeper came out of his line to deny him break the deadlock.

The game ended in a stalemate. Kenkre FC will take on Real Kashmir FC on May 1, 2022.

FULL-TIME: Kenkre FC 0-0 TRAU FC

Credits: Kenkre FC Media

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Kenkre gaffer Akhil Kothari made just one change in the starting lineup that won against Sudeva Delhi FC in the first game of the second phase 3 days ago. Aravind found himself in the starting lineup instead of Kenstar.

From the first whistle, Kenkre made a slow but solid defensive start and endured early pressure from Aizawl FC.

After foiling some aggressive moves from Aizawl, in the 24th minute, on a counter, Suraj Negi hooped the ball into the box and found Ranjeet who headed the ball to the top left corner, but his attempt was saved by Aizawl’s goalkeeper.

In the 36th minute, Suraj played an accurate through ball towards Akeraj who collected it and passed it forward but failed to find Ranjeet inside the box.

In the injury time of the first half, on a counter-attack, Kiran put a low pass and found Ranjeet who got the better of Aizawl’s defense and tapped the ball into the back of the net to give Kenkre the lead.

The referee blew the whistle and Kenkre headed into the tunnel with a slender yet vital lead.

In the second half, Kenkre improvised their first-half performances and were a constant threat to the opposition backline.

In the 52nd minute, Vijay from the left flank put the ball into the box and found Ranjeet who took a shot from low range but the Aizawl goalkeeper came out of his line to make a brilliant save.

In the 68th minute, Aizawl made an attacking move and a ball from their right wing came flying into the box but Kenkre custodian Padam bravely came out of his line and punched the ball away to avoid danger.

In the 78th minute, Vijay had a shot at goal. The ball looped over everyone and went out.

In the later stage of the game, Kenkre had a few good chances to double the lead but couldn’t capitalize on them.

In the 82nd minute, Vijay made a good run on the left side of the pitch and passed a low ball towards Akeraj who failed to put the ball into the back of the net.

Ranjeet in the 88th minute, ran away with the ball from the right-wing before entering into the box and unleashing a low cross for an onrushing Vijay only to be denied by a last-ditch challenge from Aizwal’s David.

The referee blew the final whistle as Kenkre held on to Ranjeet’s solo goal in the first half to register their second consecutive in the Hero I-League.

Next, Kenkre will face TRAU on 28th April.

Full Time: Aizawl 0-1 Kenkre

Credits: Kenkre FC Media

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On Friday, Kenkre registered a resounding 3-0 win over Sudeva Delhi FC in their opening match of the second phase of the ongoing Hero I-League campaign.

Notably, Akhil feels that the team showed great character against the side from the Capital and won by keeping a clean sheet. Kenkre earned the win courtesy of 3 goals from Akeraj, Vijay & Khongsit in the second half.

“I am very happy with the way the boys played. They were determined to change everyone’s perspective on the team and with a sweeping victory, they proved that hard work always pays off”, a happy boss stated.

He further added, “The boys are always giving their 100% in training and the continuous improvement in the last 6-7 games helped the boys get our first win in the Hero I-League. I personally think we could have got 2 more goals. In the first half, Ranjeet was everywhere in the attacking third and was really unlucky for not scoring. Akeraj, Vijay, and Khongsit used their wisdom and pace in outwitting the opposition defense at the appropriate time to ensure victory for us.”

He now hopes that this one victory can inspire the boys to achieve more. “I hope this win can be like a breath of fresh air. I am optimistic that this win can inspire and motivate the boys to win more games.”, he averred.

Regarding the upcoming match against Aizawl, Akhil feels that the team has enough talent to win and consolidate the team’s position in the league table. “I think last time we did well against Aizawl. We lost to them by just one goal. We did well in that game and I believe we can do well tomorrow as well. After the win versus Sudeva, the boys are hungry for more and I am sure that win would encourage the boys to get another 3 points tomorrow”, he concluded.

Credits: Kenkre FC Media

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In a bid to turn their fortunes in the second phase of the ongoing Hero I-League, a determined Kenkre FC took the field to face Sudeva Delhi FC, whom they had lost in the first phase 3 days back. Head coach Akhil Kothari made a single change to the side that lost to Sudeva Delhi FC last time around and brought Aniket into today’s starting lineup.

The side from Capital started the proceedings but Kenkre FC had the first sight on goal in just the 11th minute of the game. A composed Ranjeet did a one-two with Siddharth Colaco, pierced through Sudeva’s defense, and took a shot that just went wide.

In the 22nd minute, Kenkre earned a corner kick which was taken by Vijay. Vijay’s shot found Ranjeet whose header went wide.

Ranjeet was everywhere in the final third in the first 30 minutes and continued to put heavy pressure on Sudeva’s defense. In the 30th minute, on a counterattack, Akeraj made a fine run down the right flank and swung a cross into the box, but could not find Ranjeet as the latter failed to get himself at the end of it.

After a dominating 45 minutes from Kenkre, the referee blew the whistle and it ended goalless at the end of the first half.

Kenkre started the second half on the back foot but gradually increased in the game. Aniket tried his luck from a distance in the 60th minute but Sudeva’s goalkeeper Sachin Jha saved the shot with a diving attempt.

In the 65th minute, trying to build up from the back, Sudeva’s defender started playing a few back passes. Kenkre’s front line pressed them well and Ranjeet forced Sudeva’s goalkeeper to commit a dreadful error who passed the ball to Akeraj. The forward tapped the ball into the back of the net to break the deadlock.

In the 67th minute, Kenkre’s forward pressed high again and put Sudeva’s defense under pressure. On the right flank, Ranjeet passed the ball inside the box to Pravitto. Pravitto forwarded it to Aniket and who found Vijay at the edge of the box. Vijay took a shot that got deflected and found the back of the net.

Sudeva tried hard to get back into the game after going down but Padam & Co. remained strong and averted any threats made by the opponents.

In the 90+4th minute, Khongsit outwitted Sudeva’s defense and scored Kenkre’s third goal of the game. He took advantage of a poor backpass from Veer to Sudeva’s keeper and went around him to put the ball in the back of the net.

The referee blew the final whistle as Kenkre registered their first-ever win in the Hero I-League.

Next, Kenkre will face Aizawl FC on 25th April 2022.

Full Time: Sudeva Delhi FC 0-3 Kenkre FC

Credits: Kenkre FC Media

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Relegation is a major threat for Kenkre FC but improvement in the second half of Phase-1 could prompt the boys from Mumbai to avoid relegation.

Over the course of phase I, Kenkre conceded 24 goals and scored 6, and finished at the bottom with only 2 points. Despite the poor finish in the league, Kenkre showed tremendous determination in 4–5 matches but were unlucky not to actually get results in those matches. Against Mohammedan SC, Rajasthan United, and Sudeva Delhi FC; Kenkre FC put up a good fight and did well but were unlucky.

Out of 6 goals scored by the team, Ranjeet Pandre scored two, and along with that, he assisted once as well. Apart from Ranjeet, Vijay, Lester, and Akeraj were the ones who registered their names on the scoresheet. Vijay and Lester also bagged one assist each.

“After a disappointing start to our maiden Hero I-League, the boys did well in the later stage but we are really unlucky to have finished at the bottom. Silly errors in the league have cost us and we are working on them in every training session and I hope we can reduce those silly errors in the business end of the competition”, said head coach Akhil Kothari.

He further added, “All the matches in the second phase are vital for us and every match will be like a final. I have faith in my players and I have been impressed with the performance of the bunch towards the end of Phase One.”

Talking about the upcoming match against Sudeva, Akhil expressed, “In the last match against Sudeva, we were the better side. We dominated the game but could not take advantage of the chances we created. The boys are working on the flaws of that match and I hope our forward can find the back of the nets regularly not only in the upcoming game but throughout Phase Two as well.”

“If we get our first win in Second Phase, it will give us the confidence to get more wins”, concluded the Kenkre boss.

Credits: Kenkre FC Media

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Kenkre head coach Akhil Kothari made 4 changes to the team which had lost to Indian Arrows last time. Kenstar, Al Azhar, Akeraj, and Vijay found themselves in the starting lineup today for this afternoon match against Sudeva Delhi.

Kenkre started the game well and went on in attack from the very first whistle. They created a few chances in the first 10 minutes but couldn’t capitalize on them.

In the 13th minute, Sudeva Delhi opened the scoring with a goal from Shubho Paul. The forward took a shot inside the box and found the back of the net to give his side the lead.

After going down, Kenkre showed some good attacking intent and in the 18th minute, Akeraj came close to equalizing but his effort on goal got saved by Sudeva’s goalkeeper.

In the 23rd minute, Kenkre goalkeeper Padam Chettri was called into action as he made a brilliant save and denied the opposition from doubling the lead.

In the 33rd minute, Sudeva’s Lotjem went past our defense, Kenkre goalkeeper Padam came out of his box and got beaten and Lotjem took a shot at the open net but a calm and composed Al Azhar made the run to the box and cleared the ball.

Although Kenkre had a better first half than the opponents, they could not manage to level the scoring. The half ended with a scoreline of 1-0 in Sudeva’s favor.

Kenkre continued the same attacking intent from the first half to the second. In the 52nd minute, Kenkre forward Ranjeet came close to scoring. He took a lofty shot from the left flank and the ball went towards the top right corner but an attentive Sudeva keeper stretched himself to collect the ball.

In the 63rd minute, Kenkre’s Nam put a good cross into the box. Kiran headed it towards goal but his effort skinned off the crossbar and went behind.

In the 90+2nd minute, a long throw from Pravitto into the box was flicked on by Yash. Akeraj headed the ball but it was collected by Sudeva’s goalkeeper. In the 90+5th minute, Akeraj lobbed a ball inside the box to Ranjeet, who headed the ball into the back of the net but the linesman raised his flag for a fractional offside.

Kenkre created a decent number of chances throughout the second half and dominated the entire game but were unlucky to find the back of the net as the game ended with another loss for them.

Further, the boys will start preparing for Phase II which will kick off on 22nd April 2022.

Full Time: Sudeva Delhi FC 1-0 Kenkre FC

Credits: Kenkre FC Media

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