Inaugural Archery Premier League Launches October 2 to Transform Indian Archery, Backed by Global Star Ram Charan

Actor and filmmaker Mr Ram Charan. 

Rakesh Thapliyal

New Delhi: In the early era of the Olympics, archery was one of the first sports to include women’s competition. Taking inspiration from that historic fact, the world’s first franchise-based league in the sport, the Archery Premier League (IPL), is ready for a unique first when the arrows start flying at Delhi’s Yamuna Sports Complex on October 2, the first day of the competition.

The other interesting coincidence is that the league couldn’t have begun on a more appropriate and auspicious day than the festival of Dussehra, which marks Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana, killing him with his arrow.

Present on the opening day of the APL will be silver screen’s global super star Ram Charan, who is also the brand ambassador of the league. Ram Charan has been recognized world over for his work as an actor and producer, which includes the phenomenal success in movies like Magadheera, Rangasthalam and RRR, which is his highest grosser and the third highest-grossing film in the Indian cinema’s history. In every sense, Ram Charan has taken the legacy of his father, Chiranjeevi, to another level.

But the real heroes of the APL will, of course, be the 48 archers, who are part of the six teams vying for the top honours in the 11-day competition that culminates with the final on October 12.

“Launching the Archery Premier League on Dussehra feels very special, as the festival itself symbolises focus, discipline and victory. With APL, we want to give archery a bigger stage in India while bringing the world’s best athletes to compete alongside our own. This is not just about competition – it’s about creating new opportunities for Indian talent and presenting the sport in a way that connects with fans across the country,” said Shri Anil Kamineni, Director of the Archery Premier League.

Prithviraj Yodhas (Delhi), Mighty Marathas (Maharashtra), Kakatiya Knights (Telangana), Rajputana Royals (Rajasthan), Chero Archers (Jharkhand) and Chola Chiefs (Tamil Nadu) are the six teams that will have a squad of eight archers each, which will be a mix of male and female players.

Top Indian Archers pose with key dignitaries after launch of Archery Premier League in New Delhi.

The APL will also witness a unique format that will blend compound and recurve archery. So, while four players in each team will be compound archers, the other four will be from recurve. Among them, two archers in each team are overseas players.

Among the star attractions will be Indian stalwart and former world No. 1 Deepika Kumari (recurve) and mixed team world record-holder Jyothi Surekha Vennam (compound). The other well-known Indians on show will be Abhishek Verma, Atanu Das, Tarundeep Rai, Rishabh Yadav, Dhiraj Bommadevara, Ankita Bhakat, Ojas Deotale and others.

The foreign attractions are led by world No. 1 compound archers Mike Schloesser of the Netherlands and Andrea Becera of Mexico. Also present will be USA’s Brady Ellison, who is the men’s individual silver medalist and mixed team bronze medallist from the Paris Olympics. Mete Gazos, part of Turkey’s men’s team bronze medalists at Paris 2024, will also showcase her skills.

As for the APL format, it involves two round-robin stages, which will ensure that every team plays every opponent multiple times. Those two stages will run from October 2 to 11, followed by the semi-finals and the final on October 12.

“The league will replicate the kind of pressure and intensity we face at the Olympics,” said Deepika ahead of the opening day of the APL. “When Indian and international archers share the same team, we exchange training methods, strategies, and mindsets. That is how standards rise. I am excited to see how we push each other and lift the level of Indian archery together.”

Each competition day will see three matches, with the first contest beginning at 7:45 pm.

Here’s the complete squad list of all six teams:

Prithviraj Yodhas (Delhi):
Recurve: Matias Grande, Krish Kumar, Gatha Anandrao, Sharvari Somnath; Compound: Abhishek Verma, Priyansh, Andrea Becerra, Pranjal Salve

Rajputana Royals (Rajasthan):
Recurve: Mete Gazoz, Sachin Gupta, Ankita Bhakat, Basanti Mahato; Compound: Prathamesh Fuge, Ojas Deotale, Ella Gibson, Swati Dudhwal

Kakatiya Knights (Telangana):
Recurve: Neeraj Chauhan, Rohit Kumar, Elia Canales, Tisha Punia; Compound: Nico Wiener, Jignas, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Avneet Kaur

Mighty Marathas (Maharashtra):
Recurve: Dhiraj Bommadevara, Mrinal Chauhan, Alejandra Valencia, Bhajan Kaur; Compound: Mike Schloesser, Aman Saini, Parneet Kaur, Madhura D

Chero Archers (Jharkhand):
Recurve: Rahul, Atanu Das, Katharina Bauer, Kumkum Mohod; Compound: Mathias Fullerton, Sahil Rajesh, Prithika Pradeep, Madala Hamsini

Chola Chiefs (Tamil Nadu):
Recurve: Brady Ellison, Tarundeep Rai, Deepika Kumari, Anshika Kumari; Compound: Rishabh Yadav, Pulkit, Meeri-Marita Paas, Taniparthi Chikitha.