BMFC were denied a direct entry to First Division by the Federation despite having an impressive record in the current season. Coach Jamshed Nassiri guided them to win the local League and Rovers Cup.

The formidable BMFC defence comprises of international Gurinder Pal Singh and Sanjay Dayal as wing-backs while former Indian captain Aloke Das, Musa Aliu and Harsharnjeet Singh will contest for the two stoppers positions. Gumpe Rime and Amit Choudhary will take guard of the BMFC citadel.

While Nassiri will also have a option in the mid-field as he could test Kasif Jamal, Abdullatif Seriki, Jaspreet Singh, Uday Konar and Suresh Singh. Konar has the ability to play in forward line as well.

The strike force will be depended on Emeka Achelifu, Herbert Philips and Adil Ansari.

Though HAL havealready registered a win against Indian Air Force (IAF), the Bangalore League runners-up failed to impress in their last match. Only medio Murali and striker Dayanand showed maturity but in patches.

In the second match, IAF from Delhi will meet Rayalsima Tigers of Hyderabad. Both the teams lost their first matches. Tigers is bunch of young talented players who, however, lack cohesion and combination while Airmen from Delhi need to be more potent in the air to make their mark.