Launched by the national archery federation in 2025, the franchise-based competition will once again bring together elite recurve and compound archers from India and abroad in a unique team format. Supported by World Archery and World Archery Asia, the Archery Premier League remains the world's only franchise-based archery league and continues to strengthen its reputation after being named the Emerging Professional Sports Event of the Year at the India Sports Awards 2025 following its inaugural season.
The second edition will feature six franchises: Mighty Marathas, Rajputana Royals, Prithviraaj Yodhas, Kakatiya Knights, Chero Archers, and Chola Chiefs. A total of 48 Indian and international archers are expected to compete, with each franchise fielding a mixed squad of eight athletes. The tournament will follow a double round-robin format before the top four teams qualify for the semi-finals and the championship final.
Event Director Anil Kamineni expressed confidence in the league's continued growth and welcomed the support extended by the Government of Telangana for hosting the tournament in Hyderabad. He stated that the inaugural season demonstrated the enormous potential of archery as a spectator sport while creating an important platform where Indian archers could compete alongside the world's best athletes. He added that the league remains focused on strengthening India's archery ecosystem and providing world-class competitive opportunities for athletes.
The Archery Premier League was established with the objective of enhancing India's prospects of winning Olympic medals by creating a high-performance competitive environment for domestic archers. The tournament enables Indian athletes to compete alongside Olympic champions, world champions, and world number one-ranked archers in a professional franchise format.
Among the prominent Indian archers expected to participate this season are former world number one Deepika Kumari, four-time Olympian Atanu Das, 2023 compound world champion Ojas Pravin Deotale, compound specialists Jyothi Surekha Vennam and Abhishek Verma, and Olympian Ankita Bhakat.
Archery Premier League Director and National Federation Secretary General Virendra Sachdeva said the league continues to play a significant role in India's long-term Olympic ambitions. He stated that the competition was conceived with the broader objective of strengthening India's pathway to Olympic success in archery. According to him, athletes require regular exposure to the highest standards of competition to consistently challenge for medals on the world's biggest stages, and the league has been designed to provide exactly that opportunity. He further noted that the tournament has established a unique global model by combining elite international participation with a franchise-based structure that brings the sport closer to fans.
One of the league's most distinctive features is its 15-second shot clock, which is five seconds shorter than the standard time limit used in World Archery competitions. The faster format has significantly increased the pressure on competitors while making the contests more exciting for spectators.
Indian recurve archer Dhiraj Bommadevara described the spotlight event as highly challenging, explaining that competitors normally receive approximately 20 seconds to take a shot, whereas the league reduces that time to just 15 seconds. He said the format is simple but extremely exciting, requiring athletes to continuously improve and better understand its demands. He also revealed that elements of the format have already become part of the players' daily training sessions.
The inaugural edition of the Archery Premier League, held in New Delhi, was won by the Rajputana Royals. The tournament featured several internationally acclaimed archers, including Olympic champion Mete Gazoz and compound world champion Ella Gibson, further establishing the league as a major platform for elite competition.
Organisers have confirmed that further details regarding team rosters, international signings, match schedules, and broadcast arrangements will be announced in the coming weeks. As the world's only franchise-based archery league prepares for its second season, the tournament is expected to further elevate the sport's global profile while providing Indian archers with valuable international competitive experience in pursuit of future Olympic success.
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