The Archery Premier League (APL) Season 2 delivered three thrilling matches on Day 2 at People's Plaza, Hyderabad on Friday, 10 October 2025, as Chola Chiefs and Prithviraaj Yodhas opened their win tallies and Chero Archers maintained their unbeaten run with a second consecutive victory. All three matches ended with a 6-2 scoreline, reflecting the competitive quality across the six-team franchise league.

Chola Chiefs' Tactical Tweak Undoes Kakatiya Knights

Chola Chiefs defeated Kakatiya Knights 6-2 in the opening match of the day, with a pointed tactical change making the difference. The Chiefs deployed their two compound archers — Rishabh Yadav and Colombia's Alejandra Usquiano — back-to-back at the start of each set, generating immediate scoreboard pressure on the opposition. Usquiano, on her APL debut, was flawless, converting all eight of her arrows into 10s across the match.

The strategy bore fruit from the first set, as the compound pair fired a perfect 40 for 40 in the opening two sets, forcing Nico Wiener's Knights into a frantic response. A moment of particular note came in Set 2, when Neeraj Chauhan barely had time to release his final arrow and could only manage a 5, handing the Chiefs a dominant 76 in that set and a 4-0 lead.

The Knights showed resilience in the third set — reminiscent of their Day 1 comeback from 0-4 against the Mighty Marathas — with Chauhan atoning for the earlier miscue by nailing a 'super 10' on the eighth arrow. Marcus D'Almeida, however, could only manage a 3 for the Chiefs when a 9 would have sealed the match, and the Knights took that set 76-70. Any hope of a repeat fightback was extinguished in a sensational fourth set where the Chiefs scored 79 out of a possible 80, with recurve stars Deepika Kumari and D'Almeida stepping up to clinch it 79-76 and the match 6-2. Both teams now stand level on one win and one defeat apiece.

Atanu Das Inspires Chero Archers Past Defending Champions

In the day's standout contest, Chero Archers handed defending champions Rajputana Royals a 6-2 defeat, ending Royals' bid for a second straight win. After conceding the opening set, Chero made a proactive substitution — bringing in Indian veteran Atanu Das for Yashdeep Bhoge — and the move proved decisive. Das was in commanding form, shooting five 10s out of six arrows, while Casey Kaufhold of the USA was equally authoritative on the recurve for Chero.

The duo powered Chero through the next three sets to complete a 6-2 win. Notably, this is the second successive match in which a well-timed substitution has shaped the result in Chero's favour, underlining the coaching staff's reading of tactical situations. Rajputana Royals are now on one win and one defeat, while Chero Archers lead the standings with a perfect two wins from two.

Prithviraaj Yodhas Complete Come-from-Behind Win Over Marathas

Prithviraaj Yodhas bounced back from their Day 1 defeat to Rajputana Royals with a 6-2 win over Mighty Marathas in the final match of the day. The Yodhas dropped the opening set but rallied impressively. Abhishek Verma's side came tantalisingly close to a perfect 80 in the third set, but Matias Grande's eighth arrow drifted just outside the 10 zone into a 9. Young recurve archer Gatha Khadake recovered from a sluggish start to finish the match strongly for the Yodhas. Mighty Marathas remain winless after two outings, sitting at the bottom of the standings.

Best Archers of the Day and Day 3 Fixtures

The Best Archer awards — each carrying a ₹1 lakh reward — on Day 2 went to Atanu Das (recurve male), Casey Kaufhold (recurve female), Kushal Dalal (compound male), and Alejandra Usquiano (compound female).

On Day 3, Mighty Marathas will face Chola Chiefs in the first match, followed by Prithviraaj Yodhas taking on Chero Archers. The day's proceedings will conclude with defending champions Rajputana Royals squaring off against Kakatiya Knights. The APL Season 2 grand finale is scheduled for 18 October at People's Plaza, featuring the top four teams in a semi-final and title clash format.

About the Archery Premier League

The Archery Premier League is billed as the world's first franchise-based archery league, initiated by the Archery Association of India. Season 2 comprises six teams and 48 archers — 36 Indians and 12 elite international players — competing at People's Plaza, Hyderabad.