Archery Premier League kicks off in India

The first day of the new Archery Premier League has wrapped at the Yamuna Sports Complex in Delhi, marking the start of 10 days of daily competition in the inaugural 2025 season.

The league features six teams and a total of 48 archers – 36 from India and 12 internationals – competing across teams of eight, selected through a draft system.

The unique format combines recurve and compound archers in mixed teams, shooting at 70 and 50 metres respectively. Matches follow the set system, with four athletes from the eight in each team shooting two arrows per set, for a maximum score of 80 points.

Teams have just 120 seconds to complete a set – an average of 15 seconds per arrow rather than the usual 20 – adding a layer of strategy and time management to competition.

The round-robin stage includes three matches per day, each lasting around 20 minutes.

On the opening night, the Mighty Marathas (featuring Mike Schloesser and Alejandra Valencia) swept the Kakatiya Knights (including Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Elia Canales) 6-0, winning sets 75-72, 74-72 and 77-74.

The Chola Chiefs (starring Deepika Kumari and Brady Ellison) defeated the Chero Archers (led by Mathias Fullerton and Atanu Das) 5-1, while the Rajputana Royals (with Mete Gazoz and Ella Gibson) thumped the Prithviraaj Yohdas (including Andrea Becerra and Matias Grande) 6-0 to close the opening day.

Deepika Kumari, competing for the Chola Chiefs, told Indian media:

“I was wondering when our league would come. Finally, it is here, and I'm playing. I even won my first match. I am very excited, especially since foreign players are joining us and playing alongside us. This format is very different and fast. You do not have time to think – you have to go, shoot, and come back.”

Bollywood actor Ram Charan, who portrayed an archer in the 2022 movie RRR, is the brand ambassador for the league and featured prominently on the opening day.

“It’s an iconic sport,” he said. “It’s part of our history and our culture. It’s a historic event.”

“This is the first time we are having an archery league, and that too in India. We are very happy to be part of and support every archer across the world and every sportsman who is part of archery.”

The competition continues daily until 12 October. Fans can watch the Archery Premier League with a subscription to archery+.