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ISL 2020-21: Bengaluru FC sign Pratik Chaudhari, Lalthuammawia Ralte

ISL 2020-21: Bengaluru FC sign experienced defender Pratik Chaudhari, and veteran goalkeeper Lalthuammawia Ralte.

ISL 2020-21: Bengaluru FC sign experienced defender Pratik Chaudhari, and veteran goalkeeper Lalthuammawia Ralte.

Bengaluru, June 3: Bengaluru FC on Wednesday (June 3), announced the signings of experienced defender Pratik Chaudhari and goalkeeper Lalthuammawia Ralte ahead of the ISL 2020-2021.

Chaudhari, who played for Mumbai City FC last season, and Ralte - who was a part of the BFC from 2014 to 2018 - inked two-year deals with the Blues.

A versatile defender, Chaudhari started his career at Air India in 2011, before stints at Mohun Bagan, Mumbai FC, Rangdajied United in the I-League. Bengaluru will be his fifth club in the ISL, 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.

Ralte, meanwhile, is no stranger to the Bengaluru FC, 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 ISL, 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.

"A big part of the success we have enjoyed at BFC is because of the right mix of experience and youth that we have within our squad. Keeping our best young performers while bringing in players like Pratik and Mawia, who know the League and the system we follow will keep us in good stead going into what will be a very challenging season," said club CEO Mandar Tamhane.

(Source: BFC press release)

Story first published: Wednesday, June 3, 2020, 16:17 [IST]
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