Srinagar

Kashmiri Footballer Danish Farooq Bhat, who plays for Indian Super League team Kerala Blasters, was on Monday named in the 23-member Indian squad scheduled to play at the CAFA Nations Cup, which starts August 29 in Tajikistan.

Danish Farooq Bhat, 29,  lives in Srinagar downtown, Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir.

Danish was inspired by his father, Farooq Ahmad, who was a professional footballer two decades before him. Ahmad represented the State of J&K in the Santosh Trophy and also played for Kolkata giant Mohammedan Sporting.g

Danish Farooq is a Kerala Blasters FC midfielder who has taken part in the vast majority of the team's Indian Super League games in 2024/2025, making 20 appearances overall and accumulating 1,216 minutes of playing time.

Earlier, Farooq made 27 league appearances in total at Bengaluru FC, scoring four goals and providing two assists.

Danish, who had been playing for Indian Super League team Kerala Blasters, has already earned two caps for the national team, having made his debut in 2022.

This remarkable milestone is a matter of great pride not only for Danish and his family but also for the entire football fraternity of J&K,” the FA said.

J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also sent his congratulations to Danish. In a tweet, the CM wrote:

Congratulations to Danish Farooq. Danish previously played for the J&K Bank football team & has been selected for the Indian National Football Team. Best of luck to you Danish. May you continue to shine. pic.twitter.com/b2oeioTOXf

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) August 25, 2025

“Your success is Kashmir’s pride, and your journey continues to inspire the next generation of footballers,” the team wrote.

The 6-foot-1 central midfielder from Srinagar started his youth career with J&K Bank FC before playing for local clubs LoneStar Kashmir FC, Real Kashmir FC.

He then played for Bengaluru FC and has been with Kerala since 2023, making 38 appearances and scoring four goals.

Real Kashmir also lauded their former star.

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India will take on Tajikistan on August 29, Iran on September 1, and Afghanistan on September 4.

Interestingly, the Indian team has also a new head coach Khalid Jamil.