Mighty Marathas bounce back to claim Archery Premier League crown

Mighty Marathas were crowned champions of the second season of the Archery Premier League after defeating Kakatiya Knights 6-2 in the final at People’s Plaza in Hyderabad, India, on Sunday 18 October.

India’s recurve star Dhiraj Bommadevara shot an impressive 79 out of 80, while Dutch compound archer Mike Schloesser lived up to his nickname ‘Mr Perfect’ with a flawless 80 out of 80 to lead Marathas to their first title.

It was a remarkable turnaround for Marathas, who had lost to Knights in their final round-robin match on Saturday and again in Sunday’s first qualifier. They bounced back by beating Prithviraaj Yodhas 5-3 in the second eliminator to earn another shot at the title.

“Believing in each other, keeping patience, and attack-attack-attack,” said Bommadevara when asked about the team’s comeback.

“To be honest, the truth is that we changed nothing after losing the first match, and that I think is the beauty of this team.”

The final began with the teams sharing the opening set 75-75 after Bommadevara delivered a 10 with his final arrow, while Knights’ Neeraj Chauhan finished with an eight. Bommadevara then shot two inner 10s in the second set to help Marathas take the lead.

Knights fought back in the third set, but Marathas held their advantage. Under pressure to win the fourth set and force a shoot-off, Knights saw Nico Wiener, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Elia Canales and Chauhan all open with nines.

Marathas capitalised, scoring 79 to seal the 6-2 victory. Bommadevara delivered the decisive arrow in the inner X-ring.

Schloesser was another standout, having joined the team in place of Aman Saini ahead of the second eliminator. After scoring 79 against Yodhas, he completed a perfect 80 in the final. Marathas also brought in Simranjeet Kaur for Alejandra Valencia during the second eliminator, a change that helped fuel their comeback.

Earlier, Knights had secured their place in the final by edging Marathas in a dramatic first qualifier. The teams were level after four sets before Wiener and Canales found the inner yellow ring in the league’s hit-or-miss shoot-off to seal a 2-0 victory.

Marathas then defeated Yodhas 5-3 in the second eliminator to set up a third meeting with Knights in two days – and this time reversed the result to claim the championship.

Bommadevara was named best recurve male archer on the final day and for the tournament, while Schloesser received the day’s best compound male award.

Canales was named best recurve female archer of the day, with Prithika Pradeep taking the compound female award.

The tournament’s other individual honours went to Sangeeta in recurve women, Mathias Fullerton in compound men and Alejandra Usquiano in compound women.

Organised by the Archery Association of India, the second season featured six franchises and 48 archers – 36 Indian athletes and 12 international stars – competing in a mixed recurve and compound team format. 

Rajputana Royals won the inaugural event in New Delhi in 2025r.

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