The Archery Premier League (APL) will hold its Season 2 at People's Plaza, Necklace Road, Hyderabad from 8 to 18 October, bringing eleven days of elite archery competition to the City of Pearls. Backed by the Archery Association of India (AAI) and the Government of Telangana, the tournament will feature six franchise teams and 48 archers drawn from India and abroad.

Star-Studded Lineup

The Indian contingent includes former World No. 1 and four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari, four-time Olympian Atanu Das, 2023 Compound World Champion Ojas Deotale, and top compound archers Jyoti Surekha, Abhishek Verma, and Olympian Ankita Bhakat. An elite international field will compete alongside them, continuing the league's tradition of blending global talent with homegrown stars.

Format and Rules

APL is currently the world's only franchise-based archery league and carries the support of World Archery and World Archery Asia. The competition uniquely brings together recurve and compound archers — men and women — under a single competitive roof. A signature feature is the 15-second shot clock, five seconds shorter than the 20-second limit used in Olympic and World Archery events, placing a premium on speed, composure, and decision-making under pressure.

The six franchises — Mighty Marathas, Rajputana Royals, Prithviraaj Yodhas, Kakatiya Knights, Chero Archers, and Chola Chiefs — will each field a mixed squad of eight archers. Teams will compete in a double round-robin format, with the top four advancing to the semi-finals and the final scheduled for 18 October.

What Organisers Said

Anil Kamineni, Director of APL, said the city's sporting culture made it an ideal venue. '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. The inaugural season demonstrated not only the immense potential of archery as a spectator sport but also the value of creating a platform where Indian archers can compete alongside the world's best,' he said.

Virendra Sachdeva, Secretary General of AAI and Director of APL, framed the league's purpose in broader Olympic terms. '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,' he said.

Building on Season 1

The inaugural edition, held in New Delhi in 2025, was won by the Rajputana Royals and featured global stars including Olympic gold medallist Mete Gazoz and Compound World Champion Ella Gibson. Season 2 in Hyderabad represents a geographic expansion of the league's footprint, taking elite archery beyond the capital for the first time.

Launched with the explicit goal of bolstering India's Olympic medal prospects, APL is positioning itself as a permanent fixture in the country's sporting calendar, with Hyderabad set to test whether franchise archery can build a broader fan base outside Delhi.