XtraTime Web Desk: Bengaluru FC on Wednesday announced their first signings ahead of 2020-21 seasons. The Indian Super League (ISL) side signed defender Pratik Chaudhari and goalkeeper Lalthuammawia Ralte. Chaudhari made a switch from Mumbai City FC while Ralte extended for another couple of season with the Bangalore based franchise.
A versatile defender, Chaudhari started his career at Air India in 2011, before stints at Mohun Bagan, Mumbai FC, Rangdajied in the I-League. Bengaluru will be his fifth club in the Indian Super League, with the 30-year-old having turned out for Kerala Blasters, Delhi Dynamos and Jamshedpur FC, apart from the Islanders, in the past.
“It’s always a nice feeling when you find out that one of the best clubs in the country is interested in you and I’m extremely glad that this deal has gone through. I hope to contribute to the team in any way that I can, and the opportunity to play among some of the best Indian and foreign players in the League is something I am excited about,” said Chaudhari, following his move.
Ralte, meanwhile, is no stranger to the Bengaluru FC camp, having been a part of the side in four title winning campaigns, and on the team that faced Air Force Club in the 2016 AFC Cup final. Since joining the Blues from Shillong Lajong in 2014, the 27-year-old has turned out for NorthEast United, FC Goa and Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League, and was most recently on loan at East Bengal FC.
“I only have fond memories of my time here in Bengaluru and returning to the club for a third stint is something that I am very happy about. Apart from the fact that I will be in a team that is hungry to win, I have a bond with the city and the fans and that is something that I look forward to returning to,” said Ralte, who was previously signed back into the Blues’ squad as part of the 2017-18 Indian Super League draft.
Having handed fresh new deals to foreigners Juanan Gonzalez, Erik Paartalu and Dimas Delgado and youth prospects Leon Augustine, Parag Shrivas, Edmund Lalrindika, Ajay Chhetri, Naorem Roshan Singh and Namgyal Bhutia, the signings of Chaudhari and Ralte mark the first of the Blues’ incoming players for the new campaign.