SAFF Championship 2023 Final: India Vs Kuwait - All You Need To Know About India’s Ninth Hunt For Title

The much-awaited SAFF 2023 Final clash between India and Kuwait will take place on July 4. India are looking to clinch their ninth title against debutants Kuwait. Here are all the necessary details on the previous winners, top scorers, latest developments and players to watch out for.

An upbeat India will face Kuwait in the SAFF Championship 2023 Final at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on July 4. The Blue Tigers will look to defend their title as they are the most successful team in the history of the competition, winning eight titles till date (1993, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, 2021).

India will bank heavily on captain and veteran Sunil Chhetri, who is also the top goal-scorer this year. He has netted five times so far, with a scintillating hat-trick against Pakistan. Igor Stimac’s boys have come to the final on the back of playing some very good football during the group stage. They decimated Pakistan 4-0 in their opening game, followed by a 2-0 win against Nepal.

Meanwhile, Kuwait catapulted themselves to the final after staying undefeated throughout the competition. The 141st FIFA ranked team will rely on Mobarak-Al-Faneeni, their top goal-scorer. He scored on two occasions in four matches.

The two finalists met in the group rounds, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

Who are the previous Winners of SAFF Championship?

India have always maintained a stellar record in the championship’s 30 years of elaborate past. The only time when they failed to enter the final was in 2003. Out of 13 editions, the South Asian team has won eight times.

Sri Lanka pocketed the maiden SAFF Championship Final in 1993 in a game against India which went down the wire into the extra time.

Bangladesh (1999), Maldives (2008, 2018) and Afghanistan (2013) are the other tile winners in the tournament’s history.

Who are the top scorers in SAFF Championship 2023?

India’s talisman Sunil Chhetri tops the chart of the highest goal-scorers in this edition of the tournament, scoring on five occasions. There’s a clear daylight between him and the other scorers as no player has scored more than two goals on the list of top five scorers of SAFF Championship 2023. Hamza Mohamed of Madives, Hassan Maatouk, Khalil Bader of Lebabon and Mobarak Al-Faneeni of Kuwait have scored two goals each.

Chhetri is currently tied with Maldives’ Ali Ashfaq, leading the scorers’ list of all time. Both have 23 goals to their names.

Who are the players to watch out for?

Without an iota of doubt, captain Sunil Chhetri will be the key to India’s goal-scoring chances, having scored five goals in four games. The return of Sandesh Jinghan will bolster India’s defense. He missed the semi-final against Lebanon due to suspension. Kuwait must be wary about Anirudh Thapa’s attacking style of play in the midfield.

India will look up to goalie Gurpreet Singh Sandhu for inspiration, too. He maintained a clean sheet in the 120 minutes of regulation time before the semi-final against Lebanon went into a tie-breaker. He made five valuable saves keeping India’s chances afloat.

Stimac’s men must look to contain versatile winger Mobarak Al-Faneeni from his scoring options. With his agility and pinpoint accurate crosses, he possesses a serious threat to India’s defense.

Igor Stimac is Banned for SAFF Championship 2023 Final

Indian head coach Igor Stimac will miss the final following his two-match ban by the SAFF Disciplinary Committee. He was found guilty of arguing with the match officials during the hosts 1-1 draw against Kuwait in their final group match and was handed a red card. He was slapped with a $500 penalty in addition.

Earlier, the Croatian got a red card in India’s first game against Pakistan on June 21. But the committee decided to let him off on the pretext of a “less serious” offense.

Assistant coach Mahesh Gawli will be at the helm for India in the final against Kuwait on July 4.