Hat yai: Several new faces are expected to be included in the national sepak takraw team for the Thai King’s Cup in Hat Yai from July 20 to 27. National sepak takraw head coach Ahmad Jais Baharun has announced that the list of players has already been submitted to the Sepaktakraw Association of Malaysia.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the final list of players is expected to be confirmed after the conclusion of the Sepak Takraw League this Sunday, with those selected set to report for centralised training on Monday. Ahmad Jais highlighted that the team will include a few new players who will be given the opportunity to showcase their abilities. However, he emphasized that there will not be a major overhaul of players for this tournament.

At last year’s edition of the King’s Cup, Malaysia secured one gold, one silver, and one bronze in the men’s team and mixed quadrant events. Ahmad Jais also mentioned that the tournament will serve as a platform to assess the capability and performance of the players ahead of the SEA Games in Thailand in December. Malaysia is aiming to end their 34-year gold drought in the team regu event at the SEA Games.