Asian Games 2023: Bala Devi returns to the Indian women’s football team for the Asian Games 2023 – complete squad

August 28, 2023 Modified date: August 28, 2023

Indian women’s football team-Olymics Image

Asian Games 2023: The Indian national women’s football team is set to compete in Group B at the Asian Games 2023, which will be held in Hangzhou, the People’s Republic of China, from September 23 to October 8.

The team will face off against Chinese Taipei and Thailand in this group. The squad was announced by the head coach, Thomas Dennerby.

Asian Games: Talismanic Bala Devi returns as India announce women's football squad | #indianfootball https://t.co/GNKVy8Hqvj pic.twitter.com/img5vmwh70
— football news india (@fni) August 25, 2023

One of the notable inclusions in the squad is striker Bala Devi, who returns to the Indian national team after a four-year gap.

Bala Devi is a former India captain and has an impressive record of scoring 36 goals in 46 matches for the national team.

Her previous appearance for India was at the 2019 South Asian Games in Kathmandu.

Bala Devi made history by signing a professional contract with Scottish club Rangers in 2020, becoming the first Indian women’s footballer to do so.

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Unfortunately, her time at Rangers was cut short due to an ACL injury. After undergoing surgery and rehabilitation, she returned to the national camp in Chennai earlier this year.

Bala Devi also participated in the Indian Women’s League (IWL) 2022-23, where she emerged as the top scorer for her team, Odisha FC, with six goals.

The Asian Games 2023 women’s football competition will have 17 teams divided into five groups.

Groups A, B, and C will consist of three teams each, while Groups D and E will have four teams.

The quarter-finalists will be determined by the five group winners and the three best second-placed teams.

The Indian women’s football team, ranked 61st in the FIFA Rankings, is placed in Group B alongside Chinese Taipei (ranked 38th) and Thailand (ranked 46th).

Notably, there are no age restrictions for the women’s football tournament at the Asian Games, and the competition features senior national teams.