Inter Kashi v East Bengal: confirmed lineups and pre-match updates for ISL fixture in Pune
Inter Kashi FC will host East Bengal FC at the Balewadi Stadium in Pune on 23 October, with kick-off scheduled for 17:00 IST in the 2026-27 Indian Super League season. East Bengal arrive as the reigning ISL champions after opening their league campaign with a 4-0 victory over Churchill Brothers SC.
East Bengal were also involved in continental action, having squandered a 2-1 lead against Al Shorta SC in the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two. Five members of the East Bengal setup, including the head coach and his assistant, have worked with Inter Kashi in the past 18–24 months; Antonio López Habas is noted in the report as a former Inter Kashi coach and several East Bengal players — Sandip Mandi, Rohit Danu, Asif Khan and Narender Gahlot — have links to the Varanasi club.
Inter Kashi’s start to the ISL season has been mixed: they opened with a 1-1 draw against Odisha FC and then lost 2-0 to Kerala Blasters FC, leaving them at the bottom of the table. In the draw with Odisha FC, Thoi Singh’s strike cancelled out Pratik’s own goal to earn Inter Kashi a point. The club reports no major injury concerns or suspensions ahead of the Pune fixture, but has been hit with another transfer registration ban and has missed out on two players, forcing them to field an all-Indian squad until the January transfer window.
Off-field issues have affected Inter Kashi’s preparations: the club endured prolonged legal battles, the unavailability of a home venue, multiple registration bans and delays in finalising a new investment deal. In response they completed nearly 16 new signings in the days before the season began and, under Portuguese coach Carlos Vaz Pinto, have largely built a squad of Indian players, with most new recruits joining without a full pre-season.
East Bengal appear to have greater squad continuity and preparations on paper and will seek another three points in Pune before their upcoming continental schedule. The report states East Bengal have a fully fit squad but that Habas faces the task of rotating players effectively amid a congested domestic and continental calendar.
Predicted lineups and match details as listed: Inter Kashi wins – 0 East Bengal FC wins – 1 Albino Gomes (GK); Laldinliana Renthlei, Pratik Chaudhari, Gursimrat Singh Gill, Wayne Vaz; Rosenberg Gilbert Gabriel, Hitesh Sharma, Jitendra Singh, Manvir Singh; Sumeet Passi, Ayush Chhikara Phurba Lachenpa (GK); Jay Gupta, Anwar Ali, Diego Zivulic, Sandip Mandi; Dani Ramirez, Jeakson Singh, Mohammed Rashid; PV Vishnu, Bipin Singh, Edmund Lalrindika. The match will be broadcast live on Sony Ten 2 and Sony Ten 2 HD and streamed for free on YouTube; further updates are available via Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, the Khel Now Android and iOS apps, and their WhatsApp and Telegram channels.
After the Pune meeting, East Bengal are scheduled to turn their attention to a double-header against Al-Seeb, while Inter Kashi will aim to improve on their early-season form and move up from the bottom of the league table.
