KUALA LUMPUR – “No more experiments—we need our best players on court.”
That was the firm message from national men’s singles coach K. Yogendran ahead of Malaysia’s crucial Group B clash against Hong Kong tomorrow at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships (BAMTC) in Qingdao, China.
Aware that Hong Kong rested key players in today’s 5-0 defeat to group favourites Indonesia, Yogendran warned the Malaysian squad to brace for a much tougher challenge in their must-win encounter.
With only the top two teams advancing to the quarter-finals—and Indonesia still to play on Thursday—Malaysia cannot afford to slip up.
“We have to field our best line-up. Now is not the time for experiments,” said Yogendran in a BAM video interview.
“It’s clear that Hong Kong saved their best players for tomorrow, so we must be ready.
“Indonesia have shown their intent by fielding their strongest team from the start.”
Yogendran stressed that selection would not be based solely on rankings or past results.
Instead, the national coaches, in consultation with Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) coaching director Rexy Mainaky and singles head coach Kenneth Jonassen, will select players based on current form, tactical suitability, and preparation.
Although the BAMTC serves as a qualifier for the Sudirman Cup in April, Malaysia are without several top names, including world number seven Lee Zii Jia, Ng Tze Yong, and top doubles pairs Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (men’s doubles), Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah (women’s doubles), and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei (mixed doubles).
Despite this, the team’s goal remains unchanged: to qualify for the world mixed team championship on merit by reaching the semi-finals in Qingdao.
“Team events are all about strategy, which is why we won’t be selecting players based purely on rankings or past results,” added Yogendran.
“We have already mapped out our strategy after discussions with Rexy and Kenneth.
“What I can say is that our singles players—Leong Jun Hao, Justin Hoh, K. Letshanaa, and Wong Ling Ching—are in great shape, and our men’s doubles players are also in form.”
Yogendran, along with Letshanaa, had to miss celebrating Thaipusam with his family to be in China, but he remains fully focused on national duty.
“This is our responsibility to the country, and it always comes first. Festive celebrations happen every year, but these tournaments are rare. Work is very important.
“Hopefully, all Malaysians will pray for us and support us in this tournament,” he said. — February 11, 2025