New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) The defending champions, the Indian Senior Women's National Team departed for Kathmandu, on Saturday for the SAFF Women's Championship which kicks off on September 6. The Blue Tigresses have been clubbed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Maldives and Bangladesh.

'The players are aware of the challenges and we hope to put up a strong performance. The mix of seniors and the younger ones will surely help us to achieve the target', said Head Coach Suren Chettri.

India face Pakistan on September 7, followed by the Maldives on September 10 and Bangladesh on September 13, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said in a release on Saturday.

All matches will be played at the Dashrath Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal.

The 23-player squad headed to Kathmandu after a brief camp in Pune. Dangmei Grace has also joined the team from her recent club (Nasaf Qarshi) in Uzbekistan.

The squad:

Goalkeepers: Aditi Chauhan, Maibam Linthoingambi Devi, Sowmiya Narayanasamy. Defenders: Sweety Devi, Ritu Rani, Ashalata Devi, Ranjana Chanu, Manisa Panna, Michel Castanha, Juli Kishan, Santosh. Midfielders: Anju Tamang, Priyangka Devi, Martina Thokchom, Sandhiya Ranganathan, Kashmina, Ratanbala Devi. Forwards: Dular Marandi, Apurna Narzary, Soumya Guguloth, Renu, Kiran Pisda, Dangmei Grace.

Head coach: Suren Chettri.

India's fixtures in Group A follow below:

Sep 7: India vs Pakistan

Sep 10: Maldives vs India

Sep 13: India vs Bangladesh

--IANS

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