Archery Premier League Season 2: Prithviraaj Yodhas beat Chero Archers 5-1

Prithviraaj Yodhas defeated Chero Archers 5-1 in the Archery Premier League Season 2 in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Gatha Anandrao Khadake scored 58 out of 60, while Ganesh Thirumuru added 59 as Yodhas moved to eight points

Hyderabad: The last time Prithviraaj Yodhas and Chero Archers met, three sudden-death tiebreakers were needed to decide the winner.

But in their reverse fixture on Wednesday, Yodhas made light work of Chero Archers, registering a convincing 5-1 win in Season 2 of the Archery Premier League.

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Yodhas were powered by superb shooting from 16-year-old recurve archer Gatha Anandrao Khadake, who scored 58 out of a possible 60, and Asian Games compound medallist Ganesh Thirumuru, who scored 59.

With the win, Yodhas ended a mini-slump and moved up to eight points, while Chero Archers, who had started the season brightly, suffered their third consecutive defeat.

Continuing from where they left off in their previous meeting, the two sides appeared evenly matched as they tied the first set 75-75. However, Chero lost ground in the second set when Kumkum Mohod was left with little time to shoot her final arrow and managed only a seven. Yodhas, meanwhile, finished strongly with four 10s.

USA’s Casey Kaufhold replaced Kumkum ahead of the third set, but opened with an eight, giving Yodhas an opportunity to take control. Gatha stepped up again, shooting two 10s in the set, before Mathias Grande calmly closed it out with a 77-74 win to seal the match.

On Thursday, with the league phase entering its decisive stretch, Prithviraaj Yodhas will look to capitalise on Chola Chiefs’ inconsistent form and move closer to the semi-finals in the opening match.

Defending champions Rajputana Royals will take on the in-form Mighty Marathas in the second match, while local franchise Kakatiya Knights will face Chero Archers in the final fixture of the day, in what could be the match of the day.

Season 2 of the Archery Premier League is being broadcast on SonyLIV, Doordarshan, the Archery Association of India’s YouTube channel and Archery+. Tickets are available on District by Zomato.