Hyderabad to host second season of Archery Premier League in October

Hyderabad will host the second season of the Archery Premier League from October 8 to 18 at People’s Plaza. Six franchise teams featuring 48 Indian and international archers will compete in recurve and compound events in an 11-day tournament

Hyderabad: Hyderabad will host the second season of the Archery Premier League from October 8 to 18 at People’s Plaza on the Necklace Road here for 11 days, featuring six franchise teams and some of the world’s finest archers.

The six franchises are Mighty Marathas, Rajputana Royals, Prithviraaj Yodhas, Kakatiya Knights, Chero Archers and Chola Chiefs, with a total of 48 Indian and international archers competing across recurve and compound disciplines. Each team will field a mixed squad of eight archers, with the competition following a double round-robin format. The top four teams at the end of the league stage will advance to the semi-finals, culminating in the final on October 18.

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Initiated by the Archery Association of India (AAI) and backed by the Government of Telangana, Season 2 builds on the success of a landmark inaugural edition in New Delhi last year.

The league will once again bring Olympic champions, world champions, world number ones and some of the biggest names in archery to Indian shores, as Hyderabad prepares to host a world-class sporting spectacle. Leading Indian archers include former World No. 1 and four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari, four-time Olympian Atanu Das, 2023 Compound World Champion gold medallist Ojas Deotale, top compound archers Jyoti Surekha and Abhishek Verma, and Olympian Ankita Bhakat, alongside an elite field of international stars.

The league, for the first time, brings together recurve and compound archers, both men and women, shooting together in competitive conditions while introducing a unique 15-second shot clock, five seconds shorter than the 20-second limit used in Olympic and World Archery competitions, placing an added premium on speed, composure and decision-making under pressure. APL is currently the world’s only franchise-based archery league and enjoys the support of World Archery and World Archery Asia.

Mr Anil Kamineni, Director, APL, said, “We are delighted to bring the Archery Premier League to Hyderabad for Season 2 and are grateful to the Government of Telangana for its support in making this possible.

As we build on that foundation, our focus remains on strengthening India’s archery ecosystem, providing world-class competitive opportunities for athletes, and inspiring the next generation of talent. We are confident that Hyderabad will provide the perfect stage for a memorable second season.”

Mr Virendra Sachdeva, Secretary General, AAI, and Director, APL, said, “APL was conceived with a larger vision of strengthening India’s pathway to Olympic success in archery. For our athletes to consistently compete for medals on the world’s biggest stages, they need regular exposure to the highest standards of competition, and that is what the league seeks to provide.”