Pearly, who forms the world No 2 partnership with M Thinaah, sustained the injury during last week’s Badminton Asia Championships 2026 in Ningbo, China, where the pair were eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Pearly’s absence means Malaysia will be without their top women’s doubles pair at the Uber Cup to be played from April 24 to May 3.
Thinaah will likely be paired with another player.
“I’m truly disappointed about this. It breaks my heart to say that I won’t be able to join the Uber Cup team this time,” Pearly said in a Facebook post.
“There’s nothing I wanted more than to be on court, fighting for every point and standing with my team. But because of my back injury, I have to step back for now.”
Her absence from the Badminton Association of Malaysia’s official team photograph on Tuesday raised concerns over her fitness. Pearly stated that she missed the session to undergo an MRI scan to assess the injury she sustained in China.
The 26-year-old said she could not ignore the fact that she suffered a similar back injury in 2022, which nearly derailed her career. She added that she had struggled to sleep the past few nights while deciding whether to withdraw from the Uber Cup.
“My mind kept going back and forth, hoping there was another option,” she said.
“Anyone who knows me understands that I would never walk away from the court. I would fight until the very last point, every single time. But this time … my body is telling me to stop, and I have to listen.”
BAM has confirmed that Pearly will not be part of the squad for the Uber Cup, with national doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky stating that the decision was made following a late assessment of her condition.
“Pearly is not in a position to compete at the required level. We had to make a decision to ensure the team is fully prepared,” he said, as reported by Bernama.
The other women’s doubles pairs bound for the Uber Cup are youngsters Ong Xin Yee–Carmen Ting and Low Zi Yu–Noraqilah Maisarah.
Malaysia’s women’s singles lineup will comprise K Letshanaa, Wong Ling Ching, Siti Zulaikha Azmi and Goh Jin Wei.
Malaysia has been drawn in Group B with Japan, Turkey and South Africa.
The team left for Denmark on Tuesday for centralised training.