Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin will compete at the 2018 Malaysia Masters, which will take place from January 16 to 21, after several higher-ranked players withdrew from the tournament.

The 26-year-old, who has been included for Malaysia's Thomas and Uber Cup qualifying campaign, had not qualified for the event due to his low world ranking and was listed as a back-up participant.

However, the withdrawals of players such as Vietnam's Nguyen Tien Minh, Japan's Riichi Takeshita and Thailand's Khosit Phetpradab saw him move up the pecking order to enter the competition.

Iskandar will join fellow national shuttlers Lim Chi Wing, Joo Ven Soong and Daren Liew in the qualifying round, where 16 players will compete for four qualifying spots to the main event.

"I found out about [my participation] last Saturday," he told Astro Arena.

"As I was a back-up player, I have to go through the qualifying round first. As for whom I will be facing, I do not know yet."

For the record, Iskandar finished runner-up in the 2016 edition, while he did not participate last year due to injury.

"I am motivated to prove myself and progress as far as possible," he added.

"I am aware that there have been plenty of criticism about me, so maybe this year will be a good year for me."