SportsPosted at: Oct 5 2026 6:06PM


Asiad teammates turn rivals as 2nd season of Archery Premier League begins Oct 8

New Delhi, Oct 5 (UNI) The Asian Games brought India’s archers together in pursuit of a common goal.
In Hyderabad, the same medal winners will have to put friendships aside as they take aim at each other in the second season of the Archery Premier League, starting October 8. The continental showpiece produced several landmark performances, producing nine medals, including five golds.
Seventeen-year-old Kumkum Anil Mohod became the first Indian to win an individual Asian Games gold in recurve archery, while Jyothi Surekha Vennam helped India retain the women’s team title. Sahil Rajesh Jadhav was another standout, returning with two gold medals.
Now, they will trade India jerseys for franchise colours and take on teammates, rivals and some of the biggest names in international archery.

The league runs until October 18 and will feature 48 archers across six franchises, with the field evenly divided between men and women in recurve and compound. The 15-second shot clock will add to the pressure, forcing competitors to make quick decisions and execute under time constraints.

Kumkum and Sahil will join forces for Chero Archers, giving the franchise two Asian Games gold medallists in red-hot form. Denmark’s Mathias Fullerton and two-time Olympian Atanu Das bring further experience to the squad.

Chola Chiefs will have Asian Games double gold medallist Chikitha Taniparthi alongside Brazil’s Marcus D’Almeida. Four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari and World Championships silver medallist Rajat Chauhan add experience to a side that also has one of India’s emerging stars in Taniparthi.

Defending champions Rajputana Royals will begin their title defence with Tokyo Olympic champion Mete Gazoz and British compound star Ella Gibson. Asian Games gold medallist Ankita Bhakat, former world champion Ojas Pravin Deotale and Kushal Dalal complete a strong line-up.

For many of these archers, the transition from the Asian Games to the APL will be a quick one. The stakes are different, but the challenge remains the same: handle the pressure, hit the target and deliver when it matters. This time, however, some of the opponents standing across the shooting line will be the same teammates they celebrated with in Japan.

Mighty Marathas will bring together Asian Games silver medallist Dhiraj Bommadevara, Dutch compound star Mike Schloesser and Mexican Olympic medallist Alejandra Valencia. Parneet Kaur, Mrinal Chauhan and Madhura Dhamangaonkar strengthen the franchise’s Indian contingent.

Multiple Asian Games gold medallist Jyothi Surekha Vennam will lead Kakatiya Knights’ challenge alongside Nico Wiener, Elia Canales and Asian Games silver medallist Neeraj Chauhan. World Cup stage gold medallist Ridhi also features in the squad.

Prithviraaj Yodhas will bank on Andrea Becerra and former Asian Games gold medallist Abhishek Verma, with Matias Grande, Gatha Anandrao Khadake and Asian Games women’s recurve team gold medallist Kirti Sharma adding to their challenge.

Commenting on the upcoming season, 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.”
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Tags: #Asiad teammates turn rivals as 2nd season of Archery Premier League begins Oct 8
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