KUALA LUMPUR: The 60th Razak Cup will see Singapore field their men's and women's teams, but many states have opted to stay away from the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
The tournament, starting on Thursday, will see 13 men's and nine women's teams battling for honours.
For the record, it is only the seventh edition for the women who were left in the cold by a previous Malaysian Hockey Federation regime.
"Sabah, Kedah, Sarawak and Kelantan will not be competing in the men's Razak Cup while Sabah, Sarawak, Kelantan, Perlis, Police, Johor and Perak did not send entries for the women's tournament," said competitions committee chairman Datuk Seri Anil Jeet Singh.
Thailand were also invited but they declined.
"The groupings and fixtures will only be released one day before the tournament," said Anil as the MHC try to convince some states to send in late entries to make the 60th edition grander.
Last year's Razak Cup saw 12 women's and 14 men's teams competing. Perak beat Pahang 2-1 for the men's gold, while Kuala Lumpur edged Pahang 1-0 in the women's final.
This year's edition looks like the Pahang men and women, who won the recent Malaysia Games gold medals, will be the teams to beat.