India captain Sunil Chhetri has finally linked up with the national men’s football team in Bengaluru, as the Blue Tigers ramp up preparations for their crucial AFC Asian Cup qualifiers against Singapore next month.

The talismanic striker was joined by his Bengaluru FC teammates Rahul Bheke and Roshan Singh Naorem on Monday, taking the total number of players in camp to 28. Head coach Khalid Jamil had named 30 probables, but the early days of the camp were marred by club-versus-country tussles.

Clubs Delay Player Release

The camp, which began on September 20, initially saw just 18 players report. Fourteen—including Chhetri—were withheld by their respective clubs, with Bengaluru FC, East Bengal, and Punjab FC all opting to release their players only towards the end of the month.

“Sunil C

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