Mighty Marathas bounce back to claim Archery Premier League Season 2 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 the 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, before 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 both teams sharing the opening set 75-75 after Bommadevara delivered a 10 with his last arrow, while Knights' Neeraj Chauhan finished with an eight.
Bommadevara continued his impressive form in the second set, shooting two inner 10s to help Marathas take the lead.
Knights fought back in the third, with Chauhan and Bommadevara both producing crucial arrows, but Marathas managed to share the set and maintain their advantage.
Needing to win the fourth set to force a shoot-off, Knights came under pressure as Nico Wiener, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Elia Canales and Chauhan all opened with nines.
Marathas capitalised, scoring 79 to complete the 6-2 victory, with Bommadevara sealing the title with an arrow in the inner X-ring – the inner most ring to determine the winner in a tie-breaker.
Schloesser's flawless performance was another highlight of the final, having come into the team in place of Aman Saini ahead of the second eliminator.
The Dutchman shot 79 against Yodhas before completing a flawless 80 in the title match. Marathas also brought in Simranjeet Kaur for Alejandra Valencia during the second eliminator, a substitution that proved valuable in their comeback.
Earlier, Knights had secured their place in the final after 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 their third meeting with Knights in two days – this time they revered the result to claim the championship.
Bommadevara was named the best recurve male archer of both the final day and the tournament, while Schloesser claimed the day's best compound male award.
Canales was named the best recurve female archer of the day, with Prithika Pradeep taking the compound female award.
The tournament's other individual honours went to Sangeeta (recurve female), Mathias Fullerton (compound male) and Alejandra Usquiano (compound female).
Organised by the Archery Association of India, the second season featured six franchises and 48 archers, including 36 Indian athletes and 12 international stars, competing in a mixed recurve and compound team format.
Rajputana Royals were the winners at the inaugural event in New Delhi last year.
You can rewatch the Archery Premier League season two with a subscription to archery+.
