India, Nov. 3 -- Administrative delays reportedly led to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) not approving funds for the participation of top Indian badminton players, led by PV Sindhu and Lakshya Sen, in the recent European swing of tournaments which ended with both the India No.1 players crowned champions at the Hylo Open in Staarbrucken, Germany on Sunday.

The issue has sparked a controversy over players being left to organise their own finances for the trip that involved tournaments in four countries - Finland, Denmark, France and Germany. However, it is learnt that the Badminton Association of India (BAI) did not receive Sports Authority of India's (SAI) clearance in time because it delayed sending the list of tournaments for approv...