Nihal Sudeesh

Nihal Sudeesh (born 18 June 2001) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters.[1]

In this Indian name, the name Sudeesh is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by the given name, Nihal.

Nihal Sudeesh
Nihal with Kerala Blasters in 2022
Personal information
Date of birth (2001-06-18) 18 June 2001
Place of birth Kochi, Kerala, India
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Right winger
Team information
Current team
 Kerala Blasters
Number 28
Youth career
FA Cochin
Kerala Blasters
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2019–2021 Kerala Blasters B 2 (0)
2021–2022 Indian Navy 3 (0)
2022–2023 Kerala Blasters B 11 (4)
2022– Kerala Blasters 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13:30, 1 October 2023 (UTC)

Career

Early life and career

Nihal was born in Kochi, Kerala on 18 June 2001.[2] Nihal joined the reserve squad of the Kerala Blasters FC in 2019 and represented the side in the 2019–20 I-League 2nd Division season before leaving the club for the Durand Cup side Indian Navy in 2021.[3] After quitting his job at Indian Navy,[3] Nihal signed again for the Blasters' B team, where his performance in the 2022 Reliance Foundation Development League and in the 2022 Next Gen Cup earned him a promotion to the senior squad of the Kerala Blasters.[4][5]

2022–23: Debut season

In 2022, Nihal was included in the Kerala Blasters squad for the 2022–23 Indian Super League season.[6] He was one among the seven native players for the club for the season.[7] Nihal made his debut for the Blasters senior team in the Indian Super League on 23 October 2022 against Odisha FC by coming in as a substitute for Hormipam Ruivah in the 64th minute,[8] but the Blasters lost the match 2–1 at full-time. [9] He remained as an unused substitute for two months, and made his second appearance on 26 December in the returning fixture against Odisha as a substitute for Rahul KP in the 70th minute, which the Blasters won 1–0.[10] Nihal was acclaimed by the media and fans for his short-performance against Odisha.[11]

2023–24: Contract extension

After an impressive debut season, Nihal signed a thee-year contract extension with the Blasters till 2026.[12] He played his first match of the 2023–24 season on 13 August 2023 against Gokulam Kerala FC in the 2023 Durand Cup, which they lost by the score of 3–4 at full-time.[13]

Career statistics
As of 16 August 2023[14]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Federation Cup/Super Cup Durand Cup AFC Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Kerala Blasters FC B 2019–20 I-League 2 2 0 — — — — — — 2 0
2022 RFD League 7 4 — — — — — — 7 4
Kerala Blasters B total 9 4 — — — — — — 9 4
Kerala Blasters 2022–23 Indian Super League 5 0 1 0 — — — — 6 0
2023–24 — — — — 1 0 — — 1 0
Kerala Blasters total 5 0 1 0 1 0 — — 7 0
Career total 14 4 1 0 1 0 — — 16 4

References
  1. "❝ആ സ്ഥാനം നേടാൻ എല്ലായ്‌പ്പോഴും ഏറ്റവും മികച്ച പ്രകടനം നടത്തണം❞ : കേരള ബ്ലാസ്റ്റേഴ്‌സ് യുവ താരം നിഹാൽ സുധീഷ്". Goal Malayalam Sports (in Malayalam). 6 October 2022. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  2. "Nihal Sudeesh Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  3. Santhosh, Aswathy (6 October 2022). "Separated, then reunited- Nihal Sudeesh and his love story with Kerala Blasters". thebridge.in. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  4. "Nihal Sudeesh profile - Goals, Passes and more". Indian Super League. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  5. Guha, Sayantan. ""Can't share in words how much I love this club" - Kerala Blasters FC's eternal fan and hottest prospect Nihal Sudeesh". www.sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  6. Rayan, Stan (5 October 2022). "Jessel Carneiro to lead Kerala Blasters in new ISL season". sportstar.thehindu.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  7. "7 Malayalis in Kerala Blasters' 28-member squad for ISL 2022-23". OnManorama. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  8. Ra, Anantaajith. "Odisha FC 2-1 Kerala Blasters FC: Player Ratings as Pedro Martin seals comeback win for Juggernauts | ISL 2022-23". www.sportskeeda.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  9. Sportstar, Team (23 October 2022). "ISL 2022-23: Odisha FC wins it late against Kerala Blasters". sportstar.thehindu.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  10. "ISL 2022-23: Kerala Blasters FC Jump To Third Place After Sandeep Singh's Late Strike". Outlook. 26 December 2022. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  11. "നിഹാല്‍ സുധീഷ്; കേരള ബ്ലാസ്റ്റേഴ്‌സിന്റെ പുതിയ വജ്രായുധം..." Samayam Malayalam (in Malayalam). Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  12. "Midfielder Nihal Sudeesh pens contract extension with Kerala Blasters FC till 2026". Indian Super League. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  13. "Kerala Blasters 3-4 Gokulam Kerala Highlights: GKFC beats KBFC to win Kerala Derby in Durand Cup 2023". Sportstar. 13 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  14. "India - N. Sudheesh - Profile with news, career statistics and history". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 3 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
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