His height is six feet. He is lanky, stout. He can easily look like the Nigerian footballers who were seen playing for different teams in the Kolkata Premier League till last season. He is Supriya Pandit. Even opposition teams made official complaints against the teams he used to play in the previous years like Peerless, and Bhawanipore. 

The complaints said, why the respective teams had fielded three foreign footballers despite the IFA rule of registering three foreigners and fielding two at a time in a match. Supriya revealed, “I had to show my Aadhar card to the referees to prove that I am not a foreigner. I used to carry my identity cards always till last year. I am quite relieved as the League this season will be played without foreign footballers.”

Supriya has already drawn the attention of Kolkata's football fraternity in the Kolkata Premier League opener this season for Diamond Harbor FC. 

Out of DHFC’s 2-0 triumph against Southern Samity, Supriya not only scored the second goal but changed the complexion of the game, bringing under-pressure DHFC back into the game after replacing Tuhin Shikdar in the second session.

Supriya hails from Nalikul, a village in the Haripal sub-division of Hoogly district. Belonging to a joint family, Supriya’s father Kashinath Pandit is a farmer but works as a daily laborer in others' fields. The 65-year-old farmer has to struggle a lot to run his family which has a daughter also along with Supriya and his mother.

That is why, Supriya sounded worried. He said, “I would have helped my father to survive in a better way if I had a job. I have represented senior Bengal in Santosh Trophy. I expected I would get some offer. But it has not yet happened.” 

Supriya who has been playing in the Premier Division for the last eight years, also has to help his father in ploughing and paddy cultivation jobs whenever he goes back home even today. The 25-year-old attacking midfielder revealed, "It helped me a lot in developing leg muscles, strength, and endurance naturally."

His football journey began at Mankundu Sporting Club. He paid huge gratitude to his first coach Subimal Sinha saying, “I would not have been able to reach today’s position if Subimal sir and the club had not offered me wholehearted support. I used to obtain even financial support from my sir and the club regularly as I could not bear the expenditure for my football."

Supriya also had a huge appreciation for DHFC’s Spanish coach Kibu Vikuna. The midfielder stated, "His coaching style is hugely inspiring. He mixes himself with all the footballers as a friend. He is technically so superior that I feel all of us will improve our game standards soon. He is a brilliant coach." 

Supriya dreams of donning Indian shirts, not playing in ISL. He believes that he will receive offers from the ISL clubs once he dons India shirts. 

Despite the sobs and somber Supriya sounded happy only on one issue when he revealed, “Now my parents are happy, especially my father who did not support me playing football instead of concentrating on studies. But now whenever I go back home, he hugs me and gives blessing.”