The 43rd Bombay Gold Cup hockey tournament suffered a big blow after five-time winners Indian Airlines pulled out for want of enough players to represent them in the prestigious event.

The glamour Delhi outfit informed the organisers they cannot field a team as eleven of their players are in the national camps for juniors and seniors, in Hyderabad and Delhi respectively.

The organisers -- Bombay Hockey Association -- chose to keep Airlines' pull-out under wraps, even though a fax to the effect had been sent by the latter to Indian Hockey Federation treasurer J N Tyagi, with a copy marked to the BHA.

BHA secretary Commander Kehar Singh insisted that nothing in writing had been received from Indian Airlines to the effect when asked for his reaction to a report in the media on Friday morning.

"I have been told by the Airlines over telephone that efforts were on to field a team by including players from Indian Oil (another Delhi-based team)," he said.

Airlines later on Friday sent another fax confirming their withdrawal from the tournament.

The pull-out of Airlines, seeded into the pre-quarters, opened the way for Central Railway, whose protest was upheld after their loss to Border Security Force (Jalandhar), to meet Indian Hockey Federation Juniors XI in the quarters.