The Archery Premier League will return for a second season this October, with Hyderabad's People's Plaza on Necklace Road hosting an eleven-day tournament from 8 to 18 October 2026.
Six franchises — Mighty Marathas, Rajputana Royals, Prithviraaj Yodhas, Kakatiya Knights, Chero Archers and Chola Chiefs — will contest a double round-robin league stage, with the top four progressing to semi-finals and the final on 18 October. Each franchise fields a mixed squad of eight archers across recurve and compound, drawing on a pool of 48 Indian and international athletes.
The league keeps its signature twist: a 15-second shot clock, five seconds quicker than the standard Olympic-format limit, designed to sharpen the spectacle for spectators and broadcasters.
Star names confirmed in league reporting include Deepika Kumari, Atanu Das, 2023 compound world champion Ojas Deotale, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Abhishek Verma and Ankita Bhakat. APL director Anil Kamineni and AAI secretary general Virendra Sachdeva announced the season details, with support from the Government of Telangana, World Archery and World Archery Asia.
Franchise leagues give Indian archers something the calendar rarely offers — repeated, televised match play. The association hopes Punjab's rising seniors will push for selection into future APL player pools; league experience of this kind translates directly to composure at nationals.
Source & further reading: The Bridge — Hyderabad to host Archery Premier League season 2 (10 June 2026).
Featured photo: Haniyeh Malik (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.
