ISL champ Chennaiyin FC parts ways with 8 players

: Indian Super League (ISL) champions Chennaiyin FC has parted ways with eight players from last season's cup-winning squad.

Long-standing player Dhanachandra Singh was among the players whose contracts expired on Thursday, said a CFC release here.

The others whose contracts ended were: Bikramjit Singh, Keenan Almeida, Jude Nworuh, Fulganco Cardozo, Sanjay Balmuchu, Pawan Kumar and Shahin Lal Meloli.

The team has already retained 13 players from last season for their title defence, with head coach John Gregory and sports scientist Niall Clark also signing one-year extensions.

Dhanachandra Singh, a mainstay in the defence, played in 26 of the 28 matches across the first two ISL seasons for Chennaiyin FC.

However, a knee injury kept him out of the 2016 season before he played his part with three appearances in the previous campaign as Chennaiyin lifted the ISL trophy a second time. He led the side in his final ISL game for CFC against Mumbai City last season, when the club had a record-breaking 10 Indian players on the pitch at full time.

The team also bid goodbye to Bikramjit, who played an important role in the midfield on the way to the title last season.

CFC bid adieu to its speedy Nigerian attacker Jude Nworuh, who was a lethal component of the squad from the bench. He made a total of 11 appearances for the club.

The ISL champion will this season take part in the 2019 AFC Cup.