Kerala will play Railways, Pondicherry and Lakshadweep in the group stages.

Kerala will play Railways, Pondicherry and Lakshadweep in the group stages.

Kerala will play Railways, Pondicherry and Lakshadweep in the group stages.

The EMS Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode will host Santosh Trophy qualifying Group H matches, including those of Kerala, from November 20 to 24.

Besides Kerala, Pondicherry, Lakshadweep and Railways are the other teams in Group H, from which the winner will qualify directly to the final round of the Santosh Trophy to be held in Telangana.

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Team Kerala's preliminary preparatory camp comprising 30 players will begin on October 20 in Kozhikode. Bibi Thomas is the head coach while Haary Benny will be his assistant. M V Nelson is the goalkeeping coach.

Kerala's first match in Group H is against the Railways on November 20, followed by games against Lakshadweep (Nov 22) and Pondicherry (Nov 24).

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Seven-time winners Kerala, last lifted the Santosh Trophy in 2021-22 season when the final round was held in Manjeri, Malappuram. Last season, Kerala fell in the quarterfinal stage, after losing to Mizoram in shootout.