Prithviraj Yoddhaj Secures 5-1 Victory Over Chhero Archers in APL Season 2
Prithviraj Yoddhaj triumphed over Chhero Archers with a 5-1 win in the Archery Premier League, marking Chheros third consecutive loss.
Hyderabad, October 14 (Daily Kiran) : Prithviraj Yoddhaj delivered an impressive performance in the second season of the Archery Premier League (APL), defeating Chhero Archers 5-1 on Wednesday in Hyderabad. In their previous encounter, Prithviraj had to rely on three sudden-death tiebreakers to secure a win, but this time they showcased dominance throughout the match.
The victory was significantly bolstered by the outstanding shooting of 16-year-old recurve archer Gatha Anandarao Khadake and Asian Games compound medalist Ganesh Thirumur. Anandarao scored 58 out of 60 points, while Thirumur added 59 points to the team’s total.
With this win, Prithviraj Yoddhaj broke their losing streak, accumulating eight points, while Chhero Archers faced their third consecutive defeat.
The APL is the world’s first franchise-based archery league, initiated by the Archery Association of India. It features six teams and a total of 48 archers, including 36 Indian competitors and 12 top international players. The league, taking place at People’s Plaza in Hyderabad, will conclude with a grand finale on October 18, where the top four semifinalists will compete for the title.
As the match progressed, it appeared that the teams were evenly matched, with the first set ending in a tie at 75-75. However, Chhero faltered in the second set when Kumkum Mohod struggled to score, managing only 7 points, while Yoddhaj secured the set with four scores of 10.
Before the third set, USA’s Casey Coffhold replaced Kumkum but started weakly with just 8 points. This gave Yoddhaj an opening, and Gatha capitalized, scoring 10 points twice to help secure the set. Matthias Grande calmly finished the match with a score of 77-74.
The league phase is entering its decisive round on Thursday. Prithviraj Yoddhaj will aim to capitalize on Chola Chiefs’ inconsistent performance to edge closer to the semifinals. In the day’s second match, the reigning champions, Rajputana Royals, will face the in-form Mighty Marathas. The final match of the day will see the host franchise, Kakatiya Knights, take on Chhero Archers, which promises to be the most exciting matchup of the day.
