Sime Darby dropped a bombshell on Wednesday night by announcing their decision to quit the M-League.

Having secured their promotion to the Malaysian Premier League just last month, their move was an unexpected turn of events and threw the second division into disarray, as it is now one team short of its 12-team format.

According to an official statement, they will remain involved in the local football scene as they will compete in the upcoming season of the Kuala Lumpur League and focus on grassroots football development.

Founded in 2010, Sime Darby were considered to be among the better-run club sides in the M-League and enjoyed relative success.

In their eight years competing in the M-League, they won the FAM League twice, finished as Premier League runners-up once, and reached the 2012 FA Cup final, where they lost to Kelantan.

They were also named the best club in the country in 2012 and 2013.