Archery Premier League named best new event at India Sports Awards 2025
The Archery Premier League has been recognised as the Emerging Professional Sports Event of the Year at the India Sports Awards 2025, presented by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
The award was announced during FICCI TURF 2025: 15th Global Sports Summit on 21 November at the federation’s headquarters in New Delhi, in the presence of leading figures from across the sports and business community.
The Archery Premier League’s impact has already echoed in India’s international results. Coaches and athletes have credited the competition with sharpening match temperament and improving communication – qualities that were evident in the country’s historic medal haul at the recent Asian Archery Championships.
National coach Purnima Mahato said the format had an immediate, significant effect on athlete confidence and mental strength.
“A tournament like the league benefited our archers immensely,” Mahato said. “The short time slot meant there was no time to think; you just had to pick up the bow and shoot. It pushed players to be mentally sharp and confident under pressure.”
“Our players always had talent, but somewhere the mental game needed strengthening,” she added. “The league helped fix that. You could see visible changes in archers like Ankita [Bhakat], Dhiraj [Bommadevara] and Yashdeep [Sanjay Bhoge] – their confidence and consistency improved noticeably.”
An official communication was also shared with Arjun Munda, president of the national archery federation, in which the jury commended the Archery Premier League for strengthening professional archery in the country and contributing to the sport’s growing momentum. League chairperson Anil Kamineni, operations manager Prashanth Kunchapu and Archery Association of India treasurer Joris Paulose Ummacheril attended the event.
Launched by the national archery federation in September 2025, the league is the sport’s first league-format competition, designed to give Indian archers more high-pressure, match-play experience than traditional domestic formats provide. It aims to bridge the gap between training and elite international events.
The inaugural edition featured six teams representing different states, with the Rajputana Royals lifting the champion’s trophy. Its fast-paced match structure set it apart from conventional tournaments, offering archers a challenging environment while remaining accessible and engaging for spectators.
Each team included two recurve and two compound archers – men and women – competing within a tight two-minute window. With as little as 15 seconds per arrow, the format tested athletes’ speed, precision, communication and composure, resonating strongly with both fans and competitors.
The competition drew several national- and international-level athletes, giving younger archers the opportunity to compete alongside some of the most experienced names. The innovative format also boosted spectator engagement, helping archery reach wider online and in-stadium audiences.
World Archery Champion Jyothi Surekha Vennam described the format as a crucial step in India’s competitive evolution.
“The league was a one-of-a-kind experience,” the 29-year-old said. “The rules were different from usual competitions, but coming together as teams helped all of us. It was challenging at first, but we adapted day by day and ended up shooting very high scores in the finals.”
This recognition highlights the Archery Premier League’s growing role in elevating professional archery, increasing the sport’s visibility and creating new pathways for emerging Indian archers in the years ahead.
