Rajputana Royals start APL Season 2 title defence with 5-3 win over Yodhas

On Thursday, October 8, 2026, at the People’s Plaza in Hyderabad, Rajputana Royals began their Archery Premier League Season 2 title defence by defeating Prithviraaj Yodhas 5-3, a repeat pairing from the inaugural season final. The opening night also featured Kakatiya Knights edging Mighty Marathas in a shoot-off and Chero Archers beating Chola Chiefs 5-3.

Compound archers Ojas Deotale and Ella Gibson spearheaded the Royals, with Mete Gazoz providing support as the side opened strongly. Prithviraaj Yodhas, captained by Abhishek Verma, recovered after a slow start and pushed the contest towards a deciding moment before Mathias Grande’s final arrow scored an eight.

Mighty Marathas moved to a 4-0 advantage after winning the first two sets but surrendered the next two and ultimately lost in the shoot-off, a collapse the side paid for after substituting out Dhiraj Bommadevara for the closing sets. Nico Wiener and Neeraj Chauhan hit the inner X-ring in the shoot-off to secure victory for Kakatiya Knights; the match was tied 4-4 (73-76, 74-77, 75-66, 77-70) before the Knights won 2-0 in the shoot-off.

Chero Archers prevailed 5-3 over Chola Chiefs after taking the opening set and seeing the Chiefs level the contest at 2-2. In the final set, Chikitha Taniparthi and Rajat Chauhan dropped a couple of 9s and could not exert early pressure, while the Archers’ compound shooters gave their side a strong start; Casey Kaufhold’s penultimate arrow made the ending tense but did not alter the result (69-74, 71-70, 75-79, 73-73).

The Royals’ match produced the set-by-set scores 75-69, 73-74, 77-77, 76-75, reflecting a tied third set that kept the contest close before Rajputana closed out the win. The Yodhas came close to forcing a hit-or-miss shoot-off but fell short after Grande’s eight on the final shot.

India’s Asian Games medallists were felicitated prior to competition by Vakiti Srihari, Telangana’s Sports Minister; A.P. Jithender Reddy, president of the Telangana Olympic Association; and APL director Anil Kamineni.

The results: Rajputana Royals bt Prithviraaj Yodhas 5-3 (75-69, 73-74, 77-77, 76-75). Kakatiya Knights tied with Mighty Marathas 4-4 (73-76, 74-77, 75-66, 77-70). Knights won 2-0 on shoot-off. Chola Chiefs lost to Chero Archers 3-5 (69-74, 71-70, 75-79, 73-73).