Mahesh Gawli appointed as head coach of India U-20 men’s team

Former India international Mahesh Gawli has been appointed head coach of the Indian men’s under-20 team, the All India Football Federation announced on Thursday.

This is Gawli’s second stint with the U-20s, having previously served from 2022 to 2023. He has also worked as an assistant coach with the senior national team and the Indian Arrows.

Gawli graduated from the Tata Football Academy and started his club career with FC Kochin in 1998, where he won the Kerala League. He later enjoyed success at Churchill Brothers, where he secured three Goa Professional League titles and finished runners-up in the 2001–02 National Football League.

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He was part of a dominant phase in East Bengal, winning the 2003–04 National Football League and the 2003 ASEAN Club Championship. At Mahindra United under David Booth, he added multiple trophies, including the NFL, Federation Cup and IFA Shield, and won the league’s Best Defender award, while helping the team reach the quarter-finals of the 2007 AFC Cup.

Gawli later joined Dempo, where he won two I-League titles and played a key role in strong AFC Cup runs.

He made his international debut in 1999 and became a regular from 2001, winning the LG Cup and multiple SAFF championships. He was man of the match in the 2007 Nehru Cup final and was part of India’s 2008 AFC Challenge Cup winning squad.

He retired on December 26, 2011, shortly after India’s 2011 SAFF Championship triumph.

Published on March 19, 2026