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India’s top archers join global stars for second Archery Premier League season

17 September 2026

Hyderabad (India)

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The Archery Premier League (APL) is back for a second season, bringing together 36 Indian archers and 12 international stars for 11 days of competition in Hyderabad from 8 to 18 October.

The six-franchise league will once again bring some of the biggest names in world archery together with India’s leading archers. Olympic champion Mete Gazoz, world number one Marcus D’Almeida, Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Casey Kaufhold, Ella Gibson and Mike Schloesser are among the international stars confirmed for Season 2.

India’s line-up includes Deepika Kumari, Atanu Das, Dhiraj Bommadevara, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Abhishek Verma and Ojas Pravin Deotale, with all 12 Indian archers selected for the upcoming Asian Games also set to compete.

Of the 36 Indian archers in the field, 21 featured in the inaugural season and 15 will make their APL debuts. On the international side, Kaufhold, D’Almeida and Alejandra Usquiano of Colombia will also make their first APL appearances.

The return of the league comes with a growing sense that its impact is extending beyond the competition itself.

Archery Premier League director Anil Kamineni said he had received encouraging feedback from both Indian and international archers about the standard of competition the league is creating.

“It’s very heartening to hear that not only Indian archers, but I have heard from international archers also,” Kamineni said on the sidelines of the World Archery Para Series.

The APL’s decision to set a top-10 world ranking criterion for international participation appears to have added another layer of motivation for archers.

“A lot of them, I have heard, were vying to be in the top 10 in the world, and so that’s a very good sign,” Kamineni said.

For Kamineni, bringing the best together is ultimately about raising the standard and giving athletes greater exposure to high-level competition.

“And that's what happens when the standard goes up, and the standard we want our archers to be exposed to,” he said. “And the international archers also, when they are competing at very high standards, it gives them a fantastic exposure too.”

Season 2 will feature the Chero Archers of Jharkhand, Chola Chiefs of Tamil Nadu, Kakatiya Knights of Telangana, Mighty Marathas of Maharashtra, PrithviRaj Yodhas of Delhi and defending champions Rajputana Royals of Rajasthan.

The league will retain its fast-paced format, including the 15-second shot clock, while moving to a new setting in Hyderabad.

Matches will be held under lights from 19h30 to 21h30 at People’s Plaza on Necklace Road, with Hussain Sagar Lake, fountains and the Telangana Secretariat forming the backdrop.

“It’s a very beautiful location,” Kamineni said of the Hyderabad venue.

The Rajputana Royals, winners of the inaugural season, will return to defend their title.

With 36 Indian archers, 12 international stars and 15 Indian debutants, Season 2 will build on the league’s foundations while continuing to bring elite-level competition to a new audience and giving archers another opportunity to test themselves alongside some of the best in the world.

The second season of India's Archery Premier League will run from 8-18 October in Hyderabad.