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Indian Super League franchise Mumbai City FC have retained the services of full-back Davinder Singh (until May 2020), forward Pranjal Bhumij (until May 2021) and goalkeeper Kunal Sawant (until May 2020) on multiple-year contracts.
With goalkeeper Amrinder Singh having already signed a three-year contract extension with the Islanders, Mumbai City FC have taken another step towards building for the future with three key members of the current squad committing their future to the club.
Born and raised in Mumbai’s suburb of Borivali, 31 year old Kunal Sawant was drafted in by Mumbai City FC ahead of the 2017/18 season. With a stint with Indian Super League side Kerala Blasters under his belt, Sawant has had plenty of experience in the I-League over the past seven years, wearing the gloves for Air India and Mumbai FC. He made two appearances on the bench for the Islanders in the 2017/18 season of the Indian Super League.
“I’m delighted and quite excited to have signed for two more seasons with Mumbai City FC. The club and the management are moving in the right direction and want to achieve big things in the near future. Being from Mumbai, there’s no better feeling than being a part of this club and it pushes me to do even better every day,” said Sawant on his decision to extend his stay with his home-town club.
Considered to be two of the brightest young footballers in the country, 22 year old Davinder Singh and 18 year old Pranjal Bhumij enjoyed strong debut seasons in the Indian Super League in Mumbai City FC colours.
A product of SAI’s Guwahati developmental center, Pranjal moved to and graduated from the DSK Shivajians academy and played for their first team in the I-League before being drafted into the Mumbai City FC squad. He has featured for the India U-19 side in the 2017 SAFF U-19 Championships, finishing as runners-up. Pranjal showed immense potential and skill in the six substitute appearances he made for the Islanders in 2017/18.
“For a young footballer like myself, there’s no bigger boost when your club shows faith and confidence in you. I want to repay the faith with my performances and I hope to have great success together in the coming years in the Blue of Mumbai City FC,” said Pranjal Bhumij.
A promising young right-back, Davinder Singh burst onto the scene when he received a call-up for the India U-23 side (for the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers) and later, for the senior national side as well by head coach Stephen Constantine. The Minerva academy graduate signed for Mumbai City FC on August 17, 2017, and displayed commanding performances in the 2017/18 season in eight appearances.
The Patiala-born defender said, “The past year has been the most important year of my career and Mumbai City FC have invariably been a huge part of it. This club, it’s like a family. I have loved each and every day I’ve spent here and it was an easy decision for me to make to continue playing in Mumbai. The fans here are incredible and I hope we can reward them and all of us with a piece of silverware soon.”
Mumbai City FC CEO Indranil Das Blah said, “The club couldn’t be happier with the three retentions. All three boys are extremely talented and professional. Davinder has the potential to be India’s best full-back. Pranjal has impressed the technical staff at Mumbai City FC immensely. And Kunal has what it takes to keep our goal safe for years to come. I hope to see all three growing along with the club.”
Having qualified with a win against Indian Arrows, Mumbai City FC continue their journey in the Super Cup. The Islanders will face East Bengal in a pre-quarterfinal clash on April 5 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
