Hyderabad, September 12 (Daily Kiran) : The second season of the Archery Premier League (APL) is scheduled to take place in Hyderabad from October 8 to 18. The event will unfold at People’s Plaza on Necklace Road, showcasing 36 of India’s top archers competing alongside 12 international stars from ten different countries.
Leading the Indian recurve team are four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari, silver medalist Atanu Das from the World Championships, and current Asian Champion Dheeraj Bommadevara. The compound team is equally formidable, featuring World Cup and Asian Games champion Jyoti Surekha Vennam and Abhishek Verma, along with former world champion Ojas Praveen Devtale.
The competition will see local talent face off against international competitors, including Turkey’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Mete Gazoz, USA’s Paris 2024 bronze medalist Casey Coffold, Brazil’s world number one Marcus D’Almeida, Great Britain’s world number two Ella Gibson, and Dutch compound expert Mike Schloesser, a former world champion and four-time World Cup finals winner.
Strengthening the local lineup, all 12 members of the Indian team heading to the Asian Games later this month will participate in the APL ecosystem. The 36-member Indian team, selected based on world archery and national rankings, comprises a mix of renowned players and emerging talents. Notably, 21 archers are returning from the first season, while 15 will make their APL debut.
Among the newcomers are silver medalist Rajat Chauhan from the World Championships and gold medalist Riddhi from the World Cup stage, along with gold medalist Kunal Dalal from the World University Games and junior national champion Kirti Sharma.
Launched by the Archery Association of India (AAI) with the support of the Telangana government, this six-franchise league features mixed teams of male and female players competing in both recurve and compound categories.
A unique aspect of this league is its 15-second shot clock, five seconds shorter than the Olympic standard. This format tests players’ decision-making skills, speed, and composure, adding an extra layer of pressure to team competitions.
Matches will take place from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM. In the inaugural season, the Rajputana Royals claimed the historic first title and will be aiming to repeat that success.
The roster for the compound men’s team includes Rishabh Yadav, Kunal Dalal, Sahil Rajesh Jadhav, Abhishek Verma, Tirumurthy Ganesh Mani Ratnam, Ojas Praveen Devtale, Shivshankar Sakharam Landkar, Aman Saini, and Rajat Chauhan.
The compound men’s international team features Mike Schloesser (Netherlands), Matthias Fullerton (Denmark), and Nico Winner (Austria).
In the compound women’s category, the Indian team consists of Jyoti Surekha Vennam, Parneet Kaur, Madhura Dhamnagaonkar, Taniparthi Chikita, Prithika Pradeep, Jasveer Kaur, Swati, Raj Kaur, and Avneet Kaur. The international compound women’s team includes Andrea Maya Becerra Arizaga (Mexico), Ella Gibson (Great Britain), and Alejandra Usquiano (Colombia).
The recurve men’s team features Bommadevara Dheeraj, Neeraj Chauhan, Yashdeep Bhoge, Atanu Das, Mrinal Chauhan, Rohit Kumar, Pawan, Abhyuday Amol Pakhale, and Juel Sarkar. The international recurve men’s team includes Marcus D’Almeida (Brazil), Matias Grande (Mexico), and Mete Gazoz (Turkey).
The recurve women’s team comprises Deepika Kumari, Kirti Sharma, Kumkum Anil Mohod, Ankita Bhakat, Sangeeta, Simranjeet Kaur, Riddhi, Kondapavuluri Yukta Shri, and Gatha Anandarao Khadke. The international recurve women’s team features Casey Coffold (USA), Alejandra Valencia Trujillo (Mexico), and Elia Canales (Spain).
RSG
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