Merdeka Cup 2023: Revised schedule announced; India matches, squad, LIVE Streaming

The fixtures of the Merdeka Tournament 2023 have been changed due to the last-minute withdrawal of Palestine. The tournament will now take place with three teams - India, Tajikistan and hosts Malaysia in a knock-out format. Sticking to the original schedule, India will play hosts Malaysia at the 90,000-seater Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on October 13, with the winners set to play Tajikistan in the final on October 17. “The format change is the best solution that has been reached at a special meeting between FAM as the organizer of the 2023 Independence Cup (Merdeka) with the management of the Indian and Tajikistan teams, this morning after taking into account the time constraints following the withdrawal of the Palestinian team,” Football Association of Malaysia said in a statement on Tuesday. The Blue Tigers arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, October 9. The palpable excitement was there to see on all the faces as the players set their sights on what promises to be a thrilling encounter in front of a partisan crowd at the Bukit Jalil. Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is one who has experienced that atmosphere in Malaysia, having played in the AFC Cup against Selangor FA in 2013 for East Bengal, and is raring to go. “I have played here once before, and I still remember the stadium, it was absolutely buzzing. I think we have a lot of Indians here as well, and it will be good to see some of those fans support us as well,” he said. “I would like to request all the Indian fans in Kuala Lumpur to come and support us.” New Schedule: October 13: Malaysia vs India, 6:30 PM IST October 17: Malaysia/India vs Tajikistan, 6:30 PM IST Original schedule: October 13, Semi-final 1: Palestine vs Tajikistan, 2:00 PM IST October 13, Semi-final 2: Malaysia vs India, 6:30 PM IST October 17, Third-place play-off: Loser of SF1 vs Loser of SF2, 2:00 PM October 17, Final: Winner of SF1 vs Winner of SF2, 6:30 PM Merdeka Cup 2023 LIVE Streaming: AIFF is still to announce TV and LIVE streaming partners for Merdeka Cup 2023. India’s probable squad for Merdeka Cup 2023 Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith and Dheeraj Singh Defenders: Nikhil Poojary, Roshan Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Mehtab Singh, Lalchungnunga, Akash Mishra and Subhasish Bose Midfielders: Jeakson Singh, Suresh Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Rohit Kumar, Sahal Abdul Samad, Brandon Fernandes, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Udanta Singh, Vikram Pratap Singh, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Liston Colaco and Nandhakumar Sekar Forwards: Sunil Chhetri and Manvir Singh Head Coach: Igor Stimac