Hockey India’s decision to leave out three senior players from the probables for the upcoming FIH Pro League season was not based on form or fitness.

It followed what officials describe as a “serious disciplinary” episode during the Indian men’s team tour of South Africa in December.

Veteran midfielder Manpreet Singh, forward Dilpreet Singh and goalkeeper Krishan Bahadur Pathak were excluded from the 33-member list named for the national preparatory camp, scheduled from February 1 to 7.

The camp will serve as the build-up to India’s Pro League campaign, which begins later this month.

Sources said the action stemmed from an incident during the three-Test series in South Africa between December 2 and 16, a tour that proved difficult for India, who lost two matches while the third ended in a draw.

“A serious case of indiscipline came to light during the South Africa tour when a player was absent from a team meeting. It was later discovered that Manpreet, Dilpreet, and Pathak had allegedly given him chewing gum containing a banned substance, which caused him to lose consciousness,” a source told PTI Bhasha.

The episode, according to those aware of the matter, escalated quickly after the player failed to attend a scheduled team meeting.

“After allegedly consuming gummies infused with a banned substance, the player felt nauseous and missed a team meeting. The incident was subsequently brought to the attention of the coaching staff, following which it was revealed that the gummies were allegedly supplied by Manpreet, Dilpreet and Pathak. The player had to be tended to throughout the night and was also unable to attend the team meeting the following morning,” the source added.

The source said the three players later apologised, but the management took a firm view of the incident. “The players later apologised for giving their teammate a banned substance, but the decision to exclude them from the upcoming camp was announced during the team meeting.”

It is learnt that no written report of the incident was submitted to Hockey India by India’s foreign coach, Craig Fulton. The decision to omit the players was, however, conveyed internally before the probables’ list was finalised.

Manpreet Singh’s absence, in particular, raised eyebrows across the hockey community.

The former India captain has been a central figure in the national setup for over a decade and was part of the squads that won consecutive Olympic bronze medals at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.

There was also speculation that his omission was linked to numbers rather than discipline. Manpreet is just one match away from equalling Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey’s record of 412 international appearances.

Officials, however, have denied that the decision had anything to do with milestones.

India, who finished eighth among nine teams in the previous Pro League season, will open their campaign against Belgium on February 11, followed by a match against Argentina on February 12.

The Harmanpreet Singh-led side will then face Belgium again on February 14 and Argentina on February 15. From there, the team will travel to Hobart for fixtures against Spain on February 21 and 24, and Australia on February 22 and 25.

The European leg of the tournament is scheduled for June.