CHENNAI: Four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari and World Championship silver medallist Atanu Das are among big names from India who'll be aiming for a strong show in the second edition of Archery Premier League (APL), which is scheduled to be held in Hyderabad from October 8 to 18. A total of 36 archers from the country will be competing alongside 12 international stars from 10 different countries.
Apart from Deepika and Atanu, reigning Asian champ Dhiraj Bommadevara is another prominent face from the country in the recurve category. India's compound section is equally stacked, anchored by multi-time World Cup and Asian Games champion Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Abhishek Verma and former world champion Ojas Pravin Deotale.
The domestic stars will go head-to-head against an international line-up featuring Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Mete Gazoz of Turkiye, Paris 2024 bronze medalist Casey Kaufhold of the United States, World No 1 Marcus D’Almeida of Brazil, World No 2 Ella Gibson of Great Britain, and Dutch compound legend Mike Schloesser, a former World Champion and four-time World Cup Final winner.
Adding further weight to the domestic line-up, all 12 members of the Indian squad heading to the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya later this month are also part of the APL ecosystem, giving the league a direct connection to the country's immediate international campaign.
Speaking on the upcoming campaign, Anil Kamineni, Archery Premier League director, said, "Following an incredible response to our inaugural season, we are ready to deliver an even bigger Season 2. Having the world’s top international archers join our league transforms the APL into a truly global spectacle, while continuing to give our Indian archers an invaluable competitive platform to test themselves directly against the best in the world."
Among the debutants are World Championships silver medallist Rajat Chauhan and World Cup stage 1 gold medallist Ridhi, along with World University Games gold medallist Kushal Dalal and junior national champion Kirti Sharma.
