The expanded field brings together Olympic medallists, world champions, World Cup winners and some of the biggest names in the sport, adding further international flavour to the six-franchise competition.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari and World Championship silver medallist Atanu Das headline India\u2019s recurve contingent, with reigning Asian champion Dhiraj Bommadevara also part of the field. The compound section features multi-time World Cup and Asian Games champion Jyothi Surekha Vennam, former World No. 1 Abhishek Verma and former World Champion Ojas Pravin Deotale.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The international contingent is led by Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Mete Gazoz of T\u00fcrkiye, Paris 2024 bronze medallist Casey Kaufhold of the United States, Brazil\u2019s World No. 1 Marcus D\u2019Almeida and Great Britain\u2019s World No. 2 Ella Gibson. Dutch compound star Mike Schloesser, a former World Champion and four-time World Cup Final winner, will also compete.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The league will also feature all 12 members of India\u2019s Asian Games-bound archery squad, giving the APL added relevance ahead of the country\u2019s campaign in Aichi-Nagoya later this month.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Anil Kamineni, Director, Archery Premier League, said, \u201cFollowing an incredible response to our inaugural season, we are ready to deliver an even bigger Season 2. Having the world\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Indian roster, selected on the basis of World Archery and national rankings, combines established performers with emerging talent. Of the 36 Indian archers, 21 featured in the inaugural season, while 15 will make their APL debut.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Among those entering the league for the first time are World Championships silver medallist Rajat Chauhan, World Cup stage gold medallist Ridhi, World University Games gold medallist Kushal Dalal and junior national champion Kirti Sharma.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The second season will retain one of the league\u2019s most distinctive features \u2014 its 15-second shot clock. Five seconds quicker than the standard Olympic timing, the format is designed to place greater emphasis on speed, decision-making and composure under pressure.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Initiated by the Archery Association of India with the support of the Government of Telangana, the league will feature six mixed-gender franchise teams competing across the Recurve and Compound categories.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 11-day tournament will be held at People\u2019s Plaza on Hyderabad\u2019s Necklace Road, with matches scheduled from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm each evening. Rajputana Royals won the inaugural edition, which also generated significant digital engagement among younger audiences.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
With a deeper international field and a mix of established Indian stars and emerging talent, the second edition will aim to build on the league\u2019s debut while providing Indian archers with regular exposure to elite global competition.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
APL Season 2 squads: <\/p>\r\n\r\n
Compound Men \u2014 India: Rishabh Yadav, Kushal Dalal, Sahil Rajesh Jadhav, Abhishek Verma, Thirumuru Ganesh Mani Ratnam, Ojas Pravin Deotale, Shivshankar Sakharam Landkar, Aman Saini, Rajat Chauhan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Compound Men \u2014 Foreign: Mike Schloesser (Netherlands), Mathias Fullerton (Denmark), Nico Wiener (Austria).<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Compound Women \u2014 India: Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Parneet Kaur, Madhura Dhamangaonkar, Taniparthi Chikitha, Prithika Pradeep, Jasveer Kaur, Swati Dudhwal, Raj Kaur, Avneet Kaur.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Compound Women \u2014 Foreign: Andrea Maya Becerra Arizaga (Mexico), Ella Gibson (Great Britain), Alejandra Usquiano (Colombia).<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Recurve Men \u2014 India: Bommadevara Dhiraj, Neeraj Chauhan, Yashdeep Bhoge, Atanu Das, Mrinal Chauhan, Rohit Kumar, Pawan, Abhyuday Amol Pakhale, Juyel Sarkar.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Recurve Men \u2014 Foreign: Marcus D\u2019Almeida (Brazil), Matias Grande (Mexico), Mete Gazoz (T\u00fcrkiye).<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Recurve Women \u2014 India: Deepika Kumari, Kirti Sharma, Kumkum Anil Mohod, Ankita Bhakat, Sangeeta, Simranjeet Kaur, Ridhi, Kondapavuluri Yuktha Sri, Gatha Anandrao Khadake.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Recurve Men \u2014 Foreign: Marcus D\u2019Almeida (Brazil), Matias Grande (Mexico), Mete Gazoz (T\u00fcrkiye).<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Teams: Chero Archers of Jharkhand, Chola Chiefs of Tamil Nadu, Kakatiya Knights of Telangana, Mighty Marathas of Maharashtra, PrithviRaj Yodhas of Delhi and Rajputana Royals of Rajasthan.<\/p>\r\n\r\n