CHANDIGARH, Feb 2: Indian Hockey Federation on Thursday axed top players, including in-form Gagan Ajit Singh, from Indian squad for upcoming Pakistan series and Commonwealth Games.

Also dropped from squad that played in Champions Trophy in December last year were Deepak Thakur, Viren Rasquinha and Prabhjot Singh.

The announcement, made by IHF president K.P.S Gill, is bound to rake up another selection controversy, something which a beleaguered Indian team could have done well without before the two important engagements.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Bharath Kumar Chetri and Adrian D’ Souza.

Fullbacks: Dilip Tirkey, Kanwalpreet Singh, Harpal Singh, Raghunath, V. S Vinay, Vikram Pillay, Ignace Tirkey, Prabodh Tirkey, Sandeep Singh.

Forwards: Rajpal Singh, Didar Singh, Sardara Singh, Tushar Khandekar, Tejbir Singh, Arjun Halappa, Adam Sinclair, Shivender Singh and Hari Prasad.

Official: Rajinder Singh Jr (coach).—PPI