Yodhas eliminate Archers as Knights meet Marathas for Q1

Gatha Anandrao Khadake and Andrea Becerra propelled Prithviraj Yodhas past Chero Archers in the first knockout match of Archery Premier League season 2 at People’s Plaza in Hyderabad on Saturday. The Yodhas had defeated defending champions Rajputana Royals 6-0 in their final league match and followed that with a 5-1 win over Archers in Eliminator 1.

With the race for the playoffs going down to the wire, the opening set between Yodhas and Archers finished level at 75-75. Gatha Anandrao Khadake began with an eight before recovering, while Atanu Das struggled with his rhythm and an early eight proved costly for Archers; he then opened the second set with a seven that again hurt their chances. In the decisive set, Gatha shot 56 out of 60 and Andrea Becerra produced a perfect 60; Becerra finished the day with 120 out of 120, and Gatha had also shot 56 in the must-win clash against Royals.

Earlier in the session Chero Archers required a shootoff to overcome Chola Chiefs after their match was tied 4-4. Compound World No. 1 Mathias Fullerton was the only archer to hit the inner yellow ring in the shootoff, which gave Archers the 1-0 victory.

Kakatiya Knights completed their round-robin campaign with a 6-0 victory against Mighty Marathas in what served as a dress rehearsal for their Qualifier 1 clash on Sunday. Nico Wiener and Jyothi Surekha Vennam were flawless for the Knights, each shooting 60 out of 60 despite gusty conditions, while Marathas, who rested Neeraj Chauhan and Dhiraj Bommadevara, were unable to get going.

The match scores were: Kakatiya Knights bt Mighty Marathas 6-0 (77-69, 72-64, 78-74); Chero Archers tied with Chola Chiefs 4-4 (70-74, 73-68, 74-69, 73-76) with Archers winning 1-0 in the shootoff; Prithviraj Yodhas bt Rajputana Royals 6-0 (76-73, 74-72, 78-73). Eliminator 1 concluded with Yodhas bt Archers 5-1 (75-75, 77-74, 79-75).

Kakatiya Knights' meeting with Mighty Marathas is scheduled as Qualifier 1 on Sunday; while the winner of that clash will progress to the final, the losing side will meet Prithviraj Yodhas in Q2.