Archery Premier League returns to Hyderabad for second season

Top national and international archers assembled in Hyderabad on October 7, 2026, as the Archery Premier League prepared to start its second season ahead of a scheduled opening round this week.

At the 2026 Asian Games, Indian archers won nine medals (five gold, two silver and two bronze), and two quota places for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics were secured by Chikitha Taniparthi and Sahil Jadhav in the Mixed Team Compound and by Kumkum Mohod in the Women’s Individual Recurve. Several members of that contingent have reconvened in Hyderabad to join international rivals and compete alongside compatriots in the APL after the league’s inaugural campaign in New Delhi.

Chikitha Taniparthi, who won twin gold medals in Aichi-Nagoya, credited her experience in the first APL season with improvements to her performance. “During the first season, I learnt a lot about managing pressure under the faster shot clock as well as techniques from my teammates while watching them train. It helped a lot in me getting better as an archer and played a part in winning gold at the Asian Games,” she said at the pre-season press conference.

Interest in the competition has risen since the New Delhi debut, APL director Anil Kamineni said at the launch, and he outlined expansion plans. Kamineni revealed intentions to add more teams in future editions and announced that the APL caravan will pitch its tent in a new city every year.

Organisers also showcased the league’s branding at the Hyderabad launch, with competing archers photographed alongside the APL mascot. The event’s promotional activity precedes the season opener, which will revisit last season’s title pairing.

The second season will be opened by a rematch of last year’s final between defending champions Rajputana Royals and Prithviraaj Yodhas at the People’s Plaza on Thursday.

Thursday’s match at the People’s Plaza will formally begin the APL’s second season and set the competitive schedule for the weeks of league play announced at the pre-season event.