The Durand Cup organising committee has requested the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to advice East Bengal to field their strongest team in the upcoming edition of the tournament.
India’s oldest club competition organised by the Indian Army will be hosted after a gap of three years in Kolkata this year.
The organisers have invited 16 teams in total, which includes six teams from India’s top tier I-League, five teams from the Indian Super League (ISL), one team from the second division and four Services teams.
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While it was a known fact that the ISL teams would send their reserves side and defending I-League champions Chennai City FC would send an all Indian squad, apparently, it was up to the three Kolkata sides to protect the sheen of the prestigious tournament.