Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has been dropped from India's 23-member squad for the New Zealand friendlies. Khalid Jamil has picked Hrithik Tiwari, Som Kumar and Vishal Kaith as his goalkeeping options for the two matches in November.Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was dropped from India's squad for the upcoming friendlies in New Zealand.
Courtesy: Gurpreet Sandhu InstagramNew Delhi,Nov 6, 2026 23:14 ISTVeteran goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has been left out of India's 23-member squad for the upcoming two-match friendly series against New Zealand, with head coach Khalid Jamil announcing his selection on Friday.Gurpreet's omission comes after India's disappointing 0-4 defeat against Brazil in October, where the experienced goalkeeper endured a difficult outing. The former India captain is among the notable absentees as Jamil looks to reshape his squad ahead of two challenging away fixtures.India have instead named Hrithik Tiwari, Som Kumar and Vishal Kaith as their three goalkeeping options for the New Zealand tour.The Blue Tigers will take on the All Whites on November 12 at the Go Media Stadium in Auckland before facing them again on November 15 at the One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch.
New Zealand are preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, making the two fixtures a valuable test for Jamil's side. The squad also features three players from Naushad Moosa's SAFF Championship 2026 contingent.
Bijoy Varghese, Muhammad Suhail and Liston Colaco will leave the tournament in Dhaka to join the senior team in New Zealand.Meanwhile, Farukh Choudhary, Noufal PN and Hmingthanmawia Ralte have been released from the SAFF Championship squad and will return to their club, Mumbai City FC. Ronney Kharbudon will also miss the trip after picking up an injury.
The New Zealand-bound players will assemble in Bengaluru on Saturday, November 7, and train the following day before departing for Auckland later that night.Jamil acknowledged the challenge awaiting his team, pointing to the quality of the opposition and the opportunity to improve away from home."New Zealand are also a World Cup-playing nation and a strong opponent, and these two matches will be a good test for us away from home. We want to prepare well, play with discipline and use this opportunity to improve as a team," he said.INDIA'S SQUAD FOR NZ FRIENDLIESGoalkeepers: Hrithik Tiwari, Som Kumar, Vishal Kaith.Defenders: Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Akash Mishra, Bijoy Varghese, Jay Gupta, Mehtab Singh, Pramveer, Ricky Meetei Haobam, Roshan Singh Naorem.Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Ashique Kuruniyan, Jithin MS, Lalremtluanga Fanai, Lalrinliana Hnamte, Tomba Singh Haobam.Forwards: David Lalhlansanga, Edmund Lalrindika, Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Muhammad Suhail, Ryan Williams.- Ends