Hyderabad, Oct 5 (IANS) India’s archery stars will trade national colours for franchise jerseys when the second season of the Archery Premier League (APL) gets underway in Hyderabad on October 8, less than a week after the country’s archers returned from the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with nine medals, including five gold medals.
The 11-day league, which will run until October 18 at People’s Plaza on Necklace Road, will bring together 48 archers across six franchises, with the field split equally between men and women competing in recurve and compound events. The tournament will also feature a 15-second shot clock, adding a tactical and time-management dimension to the competition.
The transition from teammates to franchise rivals will be particularly notable for several of India’s Asian Games medallists.
The 17-year-old Kumkum Anil Mohod arrives in Hyderabad after making history in Aichi-Nagoya, where she became the first Indian to win an individual Asian Games gold in recurve archery. She will team up with Asian Games double gold medallist Sahil Rajesh Jadhav at Chero Archers, alongside Denmark’s Mathias Fullerton and two-time Olympian Atanu Das.
Chola Chiefs will feature Asian Games double gold medallist Chikitha Taniparthi alongside Brazilian star Marcus D’Almeida. The franchise also boasts four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari and World Championships silver medallist Rajat Chauhan.
Defending champions Rajputana Royals have assembled a strong line-up in their bid to retain the title. Tokyo Olympic champion Mete Gazoz and British compound archer Ella Gibson headline the franchise, with Asian Games gold medallist Ankita Bhakat, former world champion Ojas Pravin Deotale and Kushal Dalal also part of the squad.
The presence of the Asian Games contingent across rival franchises is expected to add another layer to the competition, according to APL Director Anil Kamineni.
“India’s Asian Games success gives the second season an exciting backdrop. Fans will now see those medallists compete across rival franchises, alongside some of the best archers in the world. The quality of the squads and the demands of the 15-second format should make for a closely contested league, while giving Indian archers another valuable competitive opportunity,” Kamineni said.
The Mighty Marathas will be led by Asian Games silver medallist Dhiraj Bommadevara, who will compete alongside Dutch compound star Mike Schloesser and Mexican Olympic medallist Alejandra Valencia. Parneet Kaur, Mrinal Chauhan and Madhura Dhamangaonkar complete a strong Indian presence in the franchise.
Jyothi Surekha Vennam, who helped India defend its women’s team gold at the Asian Games, will spearhead Kakatiya Knights. She will be joined by Nico Wiener, Elia Canales and Asian Games silver medallist Neeraj Chauhan, while World Cup stage gold medallist Ridhi is also part of the squad.
Prithviraaj Yodhas, meanwhile, will count on compound archer Andrea Becerra and former Asian Games gold medallist Abhishek Verma. Matias Grande, Gatha Anandrao Khadake and Asian Games women’s recurve team gold medallist Kirti Sharma add further strength to the line-up.
For the Indian archers, the league offers an immediate opportunity to build on the momentum generated at the Asian Games while competing regularly against a strong international field.
The Archery Association of India Secretary General Virender Sachdeva said, “The league will help Indian archers to build on their international performances through regular competition with Olympic and World champions, while inspiring the next generation to take up the sport.”
With Asian Games champions, Olympic medallists, world champions and emerging Indian talent spread across six franchises, the second APL season promises a markedly different test for the archers, this time, with teammates from Aichi-Nagoya standing across the shooting line as opponents.
–IANS
vi/bsk/
