Hyderabad, Sep 12 (IANS): The Archery Premier League (APL) is set for a bigger second season, with 36 of India’s leading archers set to compete alongside 12 international stars from 10 countries in Hyderabad from October 8 to 18.
The expanded field brings together Olympic medallists, world champions, World Cup winners and some of the biggest names in the sport, adding further international flavour to the six-franchise competition.
Four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari and World Championship silver medallist Atanu Das headline India’s recurve contingent, with reigning Asian champion Dhiraj Bommadevara also part of the field. The compound section features multi-time World Cup and Asian Games champion Jyothi Surekha Vennam, former World No. 1 Abhishek Verma and former World Champion Ojas Pravin Deotale.
The international contingent is led by Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Mete Gazoz of Türkiye, Paris 2024 bronze medallist Casey Kaufhold of the United States, Brazil’s World No. 1 Marcus D’Almeida and Great Britain’s World No. 2 Ella Gibson. Dutch compound star Mike Schloesser, a former World Champion and four-time World Cup Final winner, will also compete.
The league will also feature all 12 members of India’s Asian Games-bound archery squad, giving the APL added relevance ahead of the country’s campaign in Aichi-Nagoya later this month.
Anil Kamineni, Director, Archery Premier League, said, “Following an incredible response to our inaugural season, we are ready to deliver an even bigger Season 2. Having the world’s top international archers join our league transforms the APL into a truly global spectacle, while continuing to give our Indian archers an invaluable competitive platform to test themselves directly against the best in the world.”
The Indian roster, selected on the basis of World Archery and national rankings, combines established performers with emerging talent. Of the 36 Indian archers, 21 featured in the inaugural season, while 15 will make their APL debut.
Among those entering the league for the first time are World Championships silver medallist Rajat Chauhan, World Cup stage gold medallist Ridhi, World University Games gold medallist Kushal Dalal and junior national champion Kirti Sharma.
The second season will retain one of the league’s most distinctive features — its 15-second shot clock. Five seconds quicker than the standard Olympic timing, the format is designed to place greater emphasis on speed, decision-making and composure under pressure.
Initiated by the Archery Association of India with the support of the Government of Telangana, the league will feature six mixed-gender franchise teams competing across the Recurve and Compound categories.
The 11-day tournament will be held at People’s Plaza on Hyderabad’s Necklace Road, with matches scheduled from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm each evening. Rajputana Royals won the inaugural edition, which also generated significant digital engagement among younger audiences.
With a deeper international field and a mix of established Indian stars and emerging talent, the second edition will aim to build on the league’s debut while providing Indian archers with regular exposure to elite global competition.
APL Season 2 squads:
Compound Men — India: Rishabh Yadav, Kushal Dalal, Sahil Rajesh Jadhav, Abhishek Verma, Thirumuru Ganesh Mani Ratnam, Ojas Pravin Deotale, Shivshankar Sakharam Landkar, Aman Saini, Rajat Chauhan.
Compound Men — Foreign: Mike Schloesser (Netherlands), Mathias Fullerton (Denmark), Nico Wiener (Austria).
Compound Women — India: Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Parneet Kaur, Madhura Dhamangaonkar, Taniparthi Chikitha, Prithika Pradeep, Jasveer Kaur, Swati Dudhwal, Raj Kaur, Avneet Kaur.
Compound Women — Foreign: Andrea Maya Becerra Arizaga (Mexico), Ella Gibson (Great Britain), Alejandra Usquiano (Colombia).
Recurve Men — India: Bommadevara Dhiraj, Neeraj Chauhan, Yashdeep Bhoge, Atanu Das, Mrinal Chauhan, Rohit Kumar, Pawan, Abhyuday Amol Pakhale, Juyel Sarkar.
Recurve Men — Foreign: Marcus D’Almeida (Brazil), Matias Grande (Mexico), Mete Gazoz (Türkiye).
Recurve Women — India: Deepika Kumari, Kirti Sharma, Kumkum Anil Mohod, Ankita Bhakat, Sangeeta, Simranjeet Kaur, Ridhi, Kondapavuluri Yuktha Sri, Gatha Anandrao Khadake.
Recurve Women — Foreign: Casey Kaufhold (USA), Alejandra Valencia Trujillo (Mexico), Elia Canales (Spain).
Teams: Chero Archers of Jharkhand, Chola Chiefs of Tamil Nadu, Kakatiya Knights of Telangana, Mighty Marathas of Maharashtra, PrithviRaj Yodhas of Delhi and Rajputana Royals of Rajasthan.
