Lalthathanga Khawlhring

Lalthathanga Khawlhring

Personal information
Full name	Lalthathanga Khawlhring
Date of birth	(1998-03-30) 30 March 1998 (age 25)
Place of birth	Aizawl, Mizoram, India
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s)	Central midfielder
Team information
Current team	Odisha
Youth career
2016	Bethlehem Vengthlang
2016–2017	DSK Shivajians
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2016–2017	DSK Shivajians	4	(0)
2017–2020	NorthEast United	29	(0)
2017–2018	→ Aizawl (loan)	17	(1)
2020–2022	Kerala Blasters	36	(1)
2023	ATK Mohun Bagan	8	(1)
2023–	Odisha	11	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 January 2024

Lalthathanga Khawlhring (born 30 March 1998), commonly known as Puitea, is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Indian Super League club Odisha.

Club career

Bethlehem Vengthlang

Born in Mizoram, Lalthathanga began his career with Bethlehem Vengthlang in the Mizoram Premier League before joining DSK Shivajians's academy. ^[1] After the 2015–16 season, Lalthathanga was named as the best midfielder in the league. ^[1]

DSK Shivajians

On 8 January 2017 Lalthathanga made his professional debut for DSK Shivajians in their opening I-League fixture of the 2016–17 season against Mumbai. He started and played the full match despite DSK Shivajians falling 1–0 at the Cooperage Ground. ^[2]

North East United

Loan to Aizawl

On 29 July 2017, NorthEast United announced that they had completed a transfer for Lalthathanga, who signed a three-year contract but was immediately loaned to Aizawl for the 2017–18 season. He was a mainstay for Aizawl during the season, and would finish the season with a solitary goal.

Return to North East United

After successful season with Aizawl, Lalthathanga came back to NorthEast United for season 2018–19 season. On 1 October 2018, he made his debut against Goa. He played one more season there and made a total of 29 appearances for the club.

Kerala Blasters

On 16 September, he was signed by Kerala Blasters FC on a three-year deal. ^[3] He made his debut for the Blasters against ATK Mohun Bagan on 20 November 2020, coming as a substitute in the 47th minute, where the match ended 1–0 in favour of ATK Mohun Bagan. ^[4] He scored his first-ever goal in Indian Super League and for the club against Bengaluru FC on 20 January 2021, coming on as a 46th minute substitute for Jordan Murray and the match ended 2–1 in favour for Kerala Blasters. ^[5]

Puitea was included in the Kerala Blasters squad for the 2021 Durand Cup, and played all three matches for the club in the tournament. ^[6] He played his first match of the 2021–22 Indian Super League season on 25 November 2021, which ended in a 0–0 draw as a substitute for Ayush Adhikari in the 60th minute of the game. ^{[7] [8]} Puitea played a fundamental role in Kerala Blasters 3–1 victory over Mumbai City FC on 2 March 2022, and was chosen as the man of the match in the post-match conference. ^[9] He formed a solid partnership with Jeakson Singh in the midfield and helped the Blasters to reach the finals, which they lost to Hyderabad on penalties. ^[10]

ATK Mohun Bagan

On 29 December 2022, Puitea was announced to have agreed to join ATK Mohun Bagan for an undisclosed fee subject to the player completing a medical. ^[11] On 18 March 2023, he won the 2022–23 Indian Super League trophy as ATK Mohun Bagan FC beat Bengaluru FC in the final on penalties.

Career statistics

As of matches played till 29 December 2022 ^[12]

Club	Season	League			Super Cup		AFC		Durand Cup		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
DSK Shivajians	2016–17	I-League	4	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	4	0
NorthEast United	2018–19	Indian Super League	20	0	1 [lower-alpha 1]	0	—	—	—	—	21	0
	2019–20		9	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	9	0
	Total		29	0	1	0	—	—	—	—	30	0
Aizawl (loan)	2017–18	I-League	17	1	0	0	7	0	—	—	24	1
Kerala Blasters	2020–21	Indian Super League	10	1	0	0	—	—	—	—	10	1
	2021–22		20	0	0	0	—	—	3	0	23	0
	2022–23		6	0	0	0	—	—	—	—	6	0
	Total		36	1	0	0	—	—	3	0	39	1
Career total			86	2	1	0	7	0	3	0	97	2

1. Appearances in the Super Cup

Honours

ATK Mohun Bagan

• Indian Super League: 2022–23

Kerala Blasters

• Indian Super League runner up: 2021–22. ^[13]

Individual

• Mizoram Premier League Best Midfielder: 2015–16 ^[1]

References

1. "Aizawl FC are Mizo Premier League Champions". The All India Football Federation. 17 December 2015. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
2. "Mumbai 1-0 DSK Shivajians". Soccerway.
3. "ISL 2020-21: Mizoram youngster Khawlhring joins Kerala Blasters". Sportstar. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
4. "ISL 2020-21: Kerala Blasters vs ATK Mohun Bagan - Talking Points". Sportstar. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
5. "ISL 2020-21 highlights: Kerala Blasters FC beats Bengaluru FC 2-1". Sportstar. 20 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
6. "Durand Cup 2021: Kerala Blasters FC announces squad". Sportstar. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
7. "ISL 2021-22 Highlights: NorthEast United FC and Kerala Blasters Play Out 0-0 Draw". News18. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
8. "ISL 2021-22, NorthEast United vs Kerala Blasters Highlights: KBFC's Diaz and Sahal miss big chances as match ends in goalless draw". Sportstar. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
9. "Kerala Blasters FC vs Mumbai City FC Live Score Update, Commentary, Scorecard". Indian Super League. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
10. Rajan, Adwaidh (21 March 2022). "The strengths of ISL runners-up Kerala Blasters". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
11. @KeralaBlasters (29 December 2022). "The Club can confirm that it has reached an agreement with ATKMB for the transfer of Puitea for an undisclosed fee. We wish Puitea all the best and thank him for the time he spent with us. The transfer remains subject to a player medical. #ഒന്നായിപോരാടാം #KBFC #KeralaBlasters" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
12. Lalthathanga Khawlhring at Soccerway
13. "ISL final: Hyderabad give Kerala the blues". The Indian Express. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.

External links

• DSK Shivajians Football Club Profile Archived 9 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine
• Lalthathanga Khawlhring at Soccerway