SAFF Championship 2021: Ali Ashfaq of Maldives, Sunil Chhetri of India – Who are the key players of each team?

The SAFF Championship will kick off on October 1 with hosts Maldives locking horns with Nepal at the National Football Stadium, in Male. All the participating teams have already reached the capital city and are currently undergoing a three-day quarantine. 

Record winners India will take the field on October 4, when they will play against neighbours Bangladesh. Before the competition kicks off, let us have a look at the key players of each team. 

INDIA

Full Squad: Vishal Kaith IN, Amrinder Singh tests Covid-19 positive: Igor Stimac names 23-man India squad for SAFF Championship

Key Player: Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru FC/India)

The India skipper will once again be in focus to lead the charge from the front. His form will be crucial to India’s chances of winning the SAFF Championship. He is India’s highest goal-scorer in international football and also has scored the most goals (for India) in this competition as well. 

He did not participate in the previous edition of the SAFF Championship as then-coach Stephen Constantine chose to travel with an U-23 squad. Expect Chhetri to lead India’s charge on October 4 against Bangladesh as he is yet to score against Bangladesh in the SAFF Cup.  

MALDIVES

Full Squad: SAFF Championship 2021: Maldives squad list and fixtures

Key Player: Ali Ashfaq (Club Eagles/Maldives)

Maldives’ Ali Ashfaq will be the player to watch out for all the other teams. The 36-year-old is the all-time highest goal-scorer in the competition with 20 strikes to his name and boasts of better numbers than India’s Bhaichung Bhutia (12) and Chhetri (13). 

In the 2020-21 Dhivehi Premier League, he played for Club Valencia. For the national team, he has 53 goals in 82 appearances. His recent strike for Maldives came in a friendly match against Lusail FC, where the Red Snappers went on to win 4-3. 

BANGLADESH

Full Squad: SAFF Championship 2021: Bangladesh squad list and fixtures

Key Player: Jamal Bhuyan (Saif Sporting Club Limited/Bangladesh)

Jamal Bhuyan is the linchpin in the centre of the park for Bangladesh. The midfield general has plied his trade for a few Danish outfits before permanently shifting to Bangladesh in 2014. In fact, he made his national team debut against Nepal in the 2013 SAFF Championship.

Bhuyan led his side in the recently concluded Three Nations Cup in Kyrgyzstan and has no dearth of minutes under his belt. He was regularly playing for Saif SC in the Bangladesh Premier League as well. In the 2021 season, he played 11 matches and has one goal and two assists to his name. Bruzon will be hoping that he puts his best foot forward in the tournament and guides Bangladesh to their maiden title. 

NEPAL

Full Squad: SAFF Championship 2021: Nepal squad list and fixtures

Key Player: Rohit Chand (Persija Jakarta/Indonesia) 

Like Bhuyan, Rohit Chand is a defender and plies his trade in Indonesia’s top-flight football at Persija Jakarta. He is a crucial player for Persija and even scored a goal against Persita in Liga 1 on Tuesday. Before that, he was adjudged as the man of the match against Pesela where his team won 2-1 on September 24. 

He did not play against India in the two friendlies as he was in Indonesia playing the league opener against PSS Sleman on September 5. However, he was a regular member of the Gorkhalis in the World Cup qualifiers and made eight appearances. However, he is yet to score a goal for his national team in 53 matches. 

SRI LANKA

Full Squad:  SAFF Championship 2021: Sri Lanka squad list and fixtures

Key Player: Dillon De Silva (QPR U-23/England) 

Amongst the veterans, there is one 19-year-old teenager in Dillon De Silva who can be a defender’s nightmare with his pace and guile on the wings. He is a blue-eyed boy of coach Amir Alagic and has appeared in both the matches under his reign. In fact, he made his national team debut under Alagic on June 5, 2021 in a 3-2 defeat against Lebanon. 

He has also had an exciting youth career as he has honed his skills at the Tottenham Hotspur Academy where he spent three years. In 2017, he joined the youth ranks of QPR and has made two appearances till now in the FA Youth Cup against Rochdale U18 and West Brom U18 respectively.