India coach Khalid Jamil has his Plan B ready after seven Mohun Bagan Super Giant players did not report on Monday to the ongoing camp in Bengaluru.
Khalid, aware of the situation he has found himself in, had already shortlisted some players outside the initial list of 35 members.
The Indian national team is undergoing a preparatory camp for the forthcoming Cafa Nations Cup to be held in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan from August 29.
India will face co-hosts Tajikistan (August 29), Iran (September 1) and Afghanistan (September 4) in Group B.
India are participating in the Cafa Nations Cup after Malaysia pulled out.
The tournament is outside the September window of the Fifa calendar. Clubs are not bound to release players outside the Fifa window.
“None of the seven players has joined the camp,” AIFF deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan said on Monday.
The Telegraph had reported on Sunday that Bagan may not release the seven players for the senior camp and four for next month’s AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers in Qatar.
Anirudh Thapa, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia, Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad and Vishal Kaith and Manvir Singh are the players for the senior team.
Dippendu Biswas, Suhail Bhat, Priyansh Dubey and T Abhishek Singh were shortlisted for the under-23 camp. Winger Manvir is already nursing an injury.
Bagan, who lost to Emami East Bengal 2-1 in the Durand Cup quarter-final on Sunday, were supposed to release the footballers for the two camps on Monday.
Jamshedpur FC defender Muhammad Uvais joined the camp, along with clubmates Albino Gomes and Manvir Singh. Uvais was not on the initial 35-member probables list.
The three additions take the number of players Khalid has at his disposal to 25.
Jamshedpur FC lost to Diamond Harbour FC in the other quarter-final of the Durand Cup.
After the Durand setback, Bagan will now prepare for the AFC Champions League 2. They host Ahal FC of Turkmenistan in their Group C opener on September 16.
FC Goa, the other Indian club in the fray, host Al Zawrra a day later. But four of their players have reported to the camp.