Bengal?s Santosh Trophy players take a break during practice at SAI on Tuesday. Picture by Santosh Ghosh

Calcutta: Bengal will have to depend much on the game-making ability of veteran Basudeb Mondal in their campaign for the 59th IOC senior national football championship for the Santosh Trophy, to be played in New Delhi from Thursday.

The IFA Tuesday announced a 20-member squad, off a preparatory camp that was badly hit by rain and players? absence in the last few days. While it was made clear the coach Syed Nayeemuddin will rotating the captaincy, as he always has, Basudeb?s presence will be the redeeming feature of a squad virtually bereft of stars and players who can play to potential.

Bengal play their first match against Mizoram on Monday. They play Andhra Pradesh on October 20 in the three-team cluster I. One team from this cluster will make it to quarter finals, and Bengal look in good shape, despite their indifferent team, to make it to this grade at least.

Though being a Karnataka-based player, Mohun Bagan midfielder Noel Wilson was included in the team as he was not considered for selection in Goa. IFA secretary Subrata Dutta said that the inclusion of Wilson was on merit. ?We have included seven midfielders in the squad, and going by his present form, he certainly does qualify to fit in.?

THE SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Sandip Nandi, Subrata Paul, Abhijit Mondal. Defenders: Dipak Mondal, Madhab Das, Dulal Biswas, Habibur Rahman Mondal, Amjad Hussain, Bimal Sarkar. Midfielders: Debabrata Roy, Mehtab Hossain, Noel Wilson, Amit Das, Basudeb Mondal, Chandan Das, Sankha Roy Chowdhury. Forwards: Dipendu Biswas, Syed Rahim Nabi, Gouranga Dutta, Vimal Pariyar. Coach: Syed Nayeemuddin. Goalkeeping coach: Debasish Mukherjee. Manager: Debajyoti Mukherjee.

Delhi gets ready

Meanwhile, Delhi is all set to host the Santosh Trophy at the Amebedkar Stadium after a gap of 60 years, adds PTI from New Delhi.

?After the inaugural match at the Ambedkar Stadium, the rest of the pre quarter final matches will be played at three other stadiums in the city,? AIFF president Priya Ranjan Das Munshi said here Tuesday.

Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit will inaugurate the tournament on Thursday, followed by the opening match between Delhi and Gujarat in cluster II.