After a gold rush at the Asian Games, Indian stars will shine in Archery Premier League 2

They stood together for India at the Asian Games. Now they stand on opposite sides.

Fresh off nine medals, including five gold, at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, India’s archery stars will swap their national colors for their franchise jerseys when the second season of the Archery Premier League (APL) kicks off in Hyderabad on October 8.

Indian archers were among the outstanding performers at Aichi-Nagoya. 17-year-old Kumkum Anil Mohod appeared as the face of the campaignhe became the first Indian to win an individual Asian Games gold in recursion. She also won gold in the women’s team event and silver in the mixed team event, finishing the games with three medals.

Chikitha Taniparthi was another headliner, winning two gold medals in combined archery. She helped India win the women’s team title alongside Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Prithika Pradeep before teaming up with Sahil Rajesh Jadhav to win the mixed team gold. Sahil also contributed to the Indian men’s team’s gold, while Dhiraj Bommadevara and Neeraj Chauhan were among the medalists in recurve. India ended up with five golds, two silvers and two bronzes from 10 archery events.

The success of the Asian Games created a fascinating backdrop for APL Season 2. Archers who shared the same colors in Japan will now compete against each other, while international rivals become franchise teammates.

ASIAN GAMES CHAMPIONS BECOME FRANCHISE RIVALS

Dhiraj Bommadevara will play for the Mighty Marathas. Courtesy: APL

Kumkum and Sahil join forces for Chero Archers, getting two of India’s most skilled archers. They will be joined by Danish composite star Mathias Fullerton, American Olympic bronze medalist Casey Kaufhold and veteran Indian archer Atanu Das.

Chola Chiefs will feature two-time Asian Games gold medalist Chikitha along with Brazilian star Marcus D’Almeida, while four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari and Rajat Chauhan add experience to the team. Chikitha’s Asian Games campaign was particularly impressive, her two golds highlighting the depth of India’s composite programme.

Defending champions Rajputana Royals will also have a strong Indian presence. Asian Games gold medalist Ankita Bhakat, former world champion Ojas Pravin Deotale and Kushal Dalal will join Olympic champion Mete Gazoz and British mixed star Elle Gibson as the Royals look to retain their crown.

Meanwhile, the Mighty Marathas will have Asian Games silver medalist Dhiraj Bommadevar along with Dutch mixed star Mike Schloesser and Mexican Olympic medalist Alejandra Valencia. Dhiraj’s presence adds considerable strength to a team that will also feature Parneet Kaur and Madhura Dhamangaonkar.

QUICK TEST FOR INDIAN ARCHERY STARS

Jyothi Surekha Vennam, another key figure in India’s Asian Games gold rush, will lead the Kakatiya Knights along with Austria’s Nico Wiener, Spain’s Elia Canales and Asian Games silver medalist Neeraj Chauhan. Jyothi was part of India’s successful women’s composite team in Aichi-Nagoya, while Neeraj secured bronze in the men’s individual event.

Prithviraaj Yodhas will introduce another experienced Indian combination, joined by former Asian Games gold medalist Abhishek Verma. Asian Games Women’s Team Gold Medalist Kirti Sharma. Mexican stars Matias Grande and Andrea Becerra add international firepower.

The league will offer a different challenge than the Asian Games. APL uses a 15-second shot clock, which forces archers to make quick decisions and execute under pressure. This format brings together men and women across recurve and compound to create a unique franchise environment.

With six teams and 48 Indian and international archers, the second season promises to be another high quality test. However, for the Asian Games medalists in India, the immediate challenge will be adapting from fighting for one country to fighting for six different franchises.

The timing could hardly be better. After cementing their dominance in Aichi-Nagoya, Indian archers now have the next stage to test themselves against the best in the world and build momentum towards the next Olympic cycle.

APL SEASON 2 FULL FOURS

THE KNIGHTS OF KAKATIYA

Nico Wiener (Austria), Elia Canales (Spain), Neeraj Chauhan, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Rohit Kumar, Avneet Kaur, Shivshankar Sakharam Landkar and Ridhi.

PRITHVIRAJ YODHAS

Matias Grande (Mexico), Andrea Maya Becerra Arizaga (Mexico), Abhishek Verma, Gatha Anandrao Khadake, Thirumuru Ganesh Mani Ratnam, Raj Kaur, Juyel Sarkar and Kirti Sharma.

RAJPUTANA ROYALS (Defending Champions)

Kushal Dalal, Ojas Pravin Deotale, Ella Gibson (UK), Swati Dudhwal, Mete Gazoz (Trkiye), Abhyuday Amol Pakhale, Ankita Bhakat and Sangeeta.

ANY ARCHERS

Mathias Fullerton (Denmark), Sahil Rajesh Jadhav, Prithika Pradeep, Jasveer Kaur, Yashdeep Bhoge, Atanu Das, Casey Kaufhold (USA) and Kumkum Anil Mohod.

THE POWERFUL MARATHAS

Mike Schloesser (Netherlands), Aman Saini, Parneet Kaur, Madhura Dhamangaonkar, Dhiraj Bommadevara, Mrinal Chauhan, Alejandra Valencia Trujillo (Mexico) and Simranjeet Kaur.

CHOLA BOSSES

Rishabh Yadav, Rajat Chauhan, Alejandra Usquiano (Colombia), Chikitha Taniparthi, Marcus D’Almeida (Brazil), Pawan, Deepika Kumari and Yuktha Sri Kondapavuluri.

– The end