Four teams level as Archery Premier League reaches halfway stage
Four teams are level on six points at the halfway stage of the Archery Premier League season two, with Chero Archers holding on to the top spot despite suffering a dramatic shoot-off defeat to Mighty Marathas at the People’s Plaza in Hyderabad, India, on Monday.
Mighty Marathas and Kakatiya Knights defeated Chero Archers and Prithviraaj Yodhas, respectively, to keep the standings tight, while defending champions Rajputana Royals returned to winning ways.
Chero, Marathas, Yodhas and Knights have all recorded three wins from five matches, but Chero lead the table with a superior set difference of +10, having won 25 sets and lost 15. Marathas sit second with a difference of +4, followed by Yodhas (+3) and Knights (-1).
The leaders had enjoyed a convincing 6-0 victory over Kakatiya Knights on Sunday, bouncing back in style to record their third win in four matches.
Led by in-form Atanu Das, Chero delivered a dominant performance to establish themselves as one of the teams to beat early in the competition. “Last year was tough for us, this time we have a super strong team and we are managing the time really well,” said Atanu after Sunday's victory.
Casey Kaufhold, meanwhile, was enjoying the challenge of the league's shorter shooting time of 15 seconds per arrow.
“I just see it as fun. When I look at the clock and it says 11 seconds, I am like, you know let's go. What else can you do, other than step up and shoot a good arrow?”
But Chero's winning momentum was halted on Monday by a resurgent Mighty Marathas side, who completed a thrilling comeback to prevail 2-1 in the league's signature hit-or-miss shoot-off after the teams finished level at 4-4.
Aman Saini and Dhiraj Bommadevara both found the yellow ring in the tie-breaker, while compound world number one Mathias Fullerton was the only Chero archer to register a hit.
Saini, who finished the match with a perfect 60 out of 60, played a crucial role in forcing the shoot-off after his nine was upgraded to a 10 in the deciding fourth set.
“It's easy for me,” Saini joked after the match. “There is a process behind all this, a lot of hard work. It gives a lot of joy when results pay off for the team.”
The victory marked the Marathas' third consecutive win after opening the season with two defeats.
Kakatiya Knights also bounced back from Sunday's loss to Chero, defeating Prithviraaj Yodhas 6-2 to join the leading group on six points.
Spanish recurve archer Elia Canales was in impressive form, calmly delivering crucial 10s under pressure, while the returning Austrian compound star Nico Wiener and Neeraj Chauhan helped the Knights establish a 4-0 lead.
Although the Yodhas fought back in the third set, the Knights held firm to secure their third victory of the season.
Wiener credited the team's familiarity and preparation for their ability to respond after defeats.
“Every team is super good and it's hard to beat them. It's more about how to get it done at the right time,” he said.
“We learned from last year. We're shooting almost the same team as last year, so we had a whole season of practice. Everyone practiced at home for the timing, and it's worked out really well.”
Earlier, defending champions Rajputana Royals ended their losing run with a 5-1 victory over Chola Chiefs, with Mete Gazoz delivering a 10 with his final arrow of the third set to seal the win.
The Royals sit fifth on four points, while Chola Chiefs remain at the bottom with two points after winning just one of their four matches.
Yashdeep Bhoge (recurve man), Canales (recurve woman), Fullerton (compound man) and Parneet Kaur (compound woman) were named the best archers of the day, each receiving a cash prize of INR 100,000.
The league features six franchises and 48 archers, including 36 Indian and 12 international athletes, competing in a mixed recurve and compound team format.
The competition continues with the second round-robin phase, followed by the semifinals and final on 18 October.
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Pictures courtesy of Archery Premier League
