India excludes top players from Sudirman Cup

MUMBAI: India will be without its national men's champion and top women's pair at the Sudirman Cup mixed team badminton championship in Scotland next month following a rift between the players and the sport's ruling body.

Men's world number 34 Chetan Anand, his wife Jwala Gutta and her doubles partner Shruti Kurien, who are ranked 27th in the world, were excluded from the team on Wednesday for not attending the national camp and selection trials this week.   

The stand-off began last month when the association made it mandatory for all players to attend the camp, but the trio wanted to participate in tournaments in Singapore and Malaysia.   

"It's very unfortunate," Pullela Gopichand, former all-England champion and national coach, said on Thursday.   

"We had decided to have a six-week training camp, from April 20, to stay fit for the rest of the long season ahead. But the three players wanted to play the two tournaments to maintain their rankings."