India's top archery stars will swap national jerseys for franchise colours when the second season of the Archery Premier League (APL) gets underway in Hyderabad on 8 October 2025, just days after the country's archers returned from the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with an impressive haul of nine medals, including five gold. The timing gives the league a rare competitive edge — several of these medallists will now face each other across franchise lines.

Format and Fixtures

The 11-day tournament, scheduled to run until 18 October, will be held at People's Plaza on Necklace Road in Hyderabad. A total of 48 archers spread across six franchises will compete, with the field split equally between men and women in both recurve and compound disciplines. A notable addition this season is a 15-second shot clock, which introduces a tactical and time-management dimension that separates the league format from conventional international competition.

Asian Games Stars Reunite as Rivals

The transition from teammates to franchise opponents will be a defining storyline of the season. Kumkum Anil Mohod, 17, arrives in Hyderabad having made history in Aichi-Nagoya as the first Indian to win an individual Asian Games gold in recurve archery. She will represent Chero Archers, alongside Asian Games double gold medallist Sahil Rajesh Jadhav, Denmark's Mathias Fullerton, and two-time Olympian Atanu Das.

Chola Chiefs have assembled a formidable line-up featuring Asian Games double gold medallist Chikitha Taniparthi, Brazilian star Marcus D'Almeida, four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari, and World Championships silver medallist Rajat Chauhan.

Defending champions Rajputana Royals will look to retain their title with a squad headlined by Tokyo Olympic champion Mete Gazoz and British compound archer Ella Gibson. Asian Games gold medallist Ankita Bhakat, former world champion Ojas Pravin Deotale, and Kushal Dalal also feature in the squad.

Franchise-by-Franchise Breakdown

Mighty Marathas will be anchored by Asian Games silver medallist Dhiraj Bommadevara, competing alongside Dutch compound ace Mike Schloesser and Mexican Olympic medallist Alejandra Valencia. Parneet Kaur, Mrinal Chauhan, and Madhura Dhamangaonkar round out a strong Indian contingent in the franchise.

Kakatiya Knights will be spearheaded by Jyothi Surekha Vennam, who helped India defend its women's compound team gold at the Asian Games. She will be joined by Nico Wiener, Elia Canales, Asian Games silver medallist Neeraj Chauhan, and World Cup stage gold medallist Ridhi.

Prithviraaj Yodhas will rely on compound archer Andrea Becerra, former Asian Games gold medallist Abhishek Verma, Matias Grande, Gatha Anandrao Khadake, and Asian Games women's recurve team gold medallist Kirti Sharma.

What Organisers and Officials Said

APL Director Anil Kamineni highlighted the unique context the Asian Games success provides: '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.'

Archery Association of India Secretary General Virender Sachdeva added: '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.'

Why This Season Matters

The APL provides Indian archers an immediate platform to sustain the momentum built in Aichi-Nagoya, competing week after week against a strong international field that includes Olympic champions and world titleholders. This comes amid growing institutional focus on building competitive depth in Indian archery beyond just the national team structure. The 15-second shot clock, in particular, is expected to test mental composure under pressure — a skill that will translate directly to major international events ahead.