By Vivek Prabhakar Singh
New Delhi [India], September 18 (ANI): India’s World Archery Championships 2025 heroes, Jyothi Surekha and Rishabh Yadav, expressed their pleasure for the inaugural version of the Archery Premier League and mirrored on their heroics within the recently-concluded world meet in South Korea.
48 Archers have been divided amongst six franchises at this time because the Archery Association of India formally launched the inaugural version of the Archery Premier League at a grand occasion in New Delhi. 36 Indians and 12 overseas archers have been picked within the draft as all groups fashioned aggressive squads for the primary season, as per a press launch from the Archery Association of India (AAI).
Recently, in September, India secured their first-ever gold medal within the males’s compound archery group occasion, whereas Rishabh Yadav and Jyothi Surekha Vennam gained silver within the compound combined group occasion, which is able to make its Olympic debut at Los Angeles 2028.
Jyothi instructed ANI that she is worked up for the league to happen, and it has been a plan for a very long time for archers to have a league of their very own.
‘Finally, it’s taking place, I’m wanting ahead to it,’ she added.
On her silver medal with Rishabh, the archer mentioned that whereas it’s unlucky {that a} gold couldn’t be achieved, she remains to be pleased with a silver. Now, her eyes are on the Asian Games scheduled for subsequent 12 months in Japan.
‘It is a precision sport. Till the time you rating, you’re within the group. And till then, you’re successful medals. So I’ll attempt to shoot as a lot as I can. I’ll attempt to rating excessive and win medals,’ she concluded.
Rishabh, who was part of India’s medal-winning occasions on the planet championships, is worked up in regards to the learnings he’ll get from the league and the way it will open up the game to new audiences.
‘We have seen different leagues in different sports activities have labored so efficiently. I need that success to come back in archery as effectively,’ he added.
Rishabh turned his males’s group gold in compound archery as an ‘unbelievable motion’.
‘Because for the primary time, the boys’s compound group gained a medal. And that too gold. There are numerous groups within the World Championships. And should you win a gold medal in between, and there may be your nationwide anthem performed, it’s a very particular second. And our group carried out very effectively collectively. We had very sturdy communication. And we aimed for gold and we gained gold,’ he added.
Rishabh admitted that the Asian Games would play an enormous position in Olympic preparation.
‘And within the league, we have now the perfect nationwide and overseas archers. We will get to compete with them for 10 days constantly. It’s an excellent factor. We will get to study from them how they suppose, how they see challenges. And I might say it is a profit for each of us,’ he added.
Compound archery will mark its Olympics debut in LA 2028, with a combined group occasion. Rishabh mentioned that each recurve and compound archers are coaching actually arduous to remain constant.
‘And I consider if we keep constant like this. In the long term, we can be on the Olympic podium,’ he concluded.
The franchises – Prithviraj Yodhas (New Delhi), Mighty Marathas (Maharashtra), Kakatiya Knights (Telangana), Rajputana Royals (Rajasthan), Chero Archers (Jharkhand), and Chola Chiefs (Tamil Nadu) – stacked up their squads for the upcoming season with stellar line-ups in an exhilarating draft that noticed a number of twists and turns.
The athletes have been drafted throughout eight rounds, comprising three compound and three recurve archers every. To preserve equity, the sequence of choosing an athlete by a franchise was determined by a random draw throughout all eight rounds.
Below discover the total squads for the franchises:
Teams:
Prithviraj Yodhas (Delhi): The group for Delhi picked star Abhishek Verma, World No. 10, together with World No. 1 Compound Women archer Andrea Becerra, who was a part of the Compound Women Team that gained Gold medal on the 2025 World Archery Championships in Gwangju, a part of the group that gained the Bronze medal on the Compound Mixed Team occasion, and in addition claimed Gold medal at Compound Women occasion.
Recurve Men: Matias Grande (World No. 6), Krish Kumar (World No. 1)Recurve Women: Gatha Anandrao (AAI Rank 3), Sharvari Somnath (AAI Rank 4)Compound Men: Abhishek Verma (World No. 10), Priyansh (World No. 15)Compound Women: Andrea Becerra (World No. 1), Pranjal Salve (AAI Rank 9)
Mighty Marathas (Maharashtra): World No. 1 Mike Schloesser, who was a part of the Compound Mixed Team that gained the gold medal on the 2025 World Archery Championships, has been picked by the franchise, together with dual-Olympic medallist Alejandra Valencia. Along with Indian Olympian Dhiraj, the Marathas have formulated a stable squad. Aman Saini, chosen by the franchise, was additionally a part of the Compound Men Team that gained a gold medal on the not too long ago concluded 2025 World Archery Championships in Gwangju.
Recurve Men: Bommadevara Dhiraj (World No. 14), Mrinal Chauhan (AAI Rank 7)Recurve Women: Alejandra Valencia (World No. 3), Bhajan Kaur (AAI Rank 6)Compound Men: Mike Schloesser (World No. 1), Aman Saini (AAI Rank 1)Compound Women: Parneet Kaur (World No. 17), Madhura D (AAI Rank 8)
Kakatiya Knights (Telangana): The Knights bolstered their squads with world-record holder Jyothi Surekha, who was additionally a part of the Compound Mixed Team that gained the Silver medal on the 2025 World Archery Championships, and Olympian Elia Canales, who made a reputation in 2018 with a Silver medal on the Youth Olympic Games and was a part of the Recurve Mixed Team that gained the Gold medal on the 2025 World Archery Championships in Gwangju.
Recurve Men: Neeraj Chauhan (AAI Rank 2), Rohit Kumar (AAI Rank 6)Recurve Women: Elia Canales (World No. 10), Tisha Punia (AAI Rank 8)Compound Men: Nico Wiener (World No. 3), Jignas (AAI Rank 8)Compound Women: Jyothi Surekha (World No. 3), Avneet Kaur (AAI Rank 5)
Rajputana Royals (Rajasthan): With Tokyo Olympics gold medallist Mete Gazoz and world No. 2 Ella Gibson amid their ranks, the Royals have fashioned a stellar squad. Prathamesh Fuge, chosen by Rajputana, was additionally a part of the Compound Men Team that gained the gold medal on the not too long ago concluded 2025 World Archery Championships in Gwangju.
Recurve Men: Mete Gazoz (World No. 7), Sachin Gupta (AAI Rank 8)Recurve Women: Ankita Bhakat (AAI Rank 2), Basanti Mahato (AAI Rank 5)Compound Men: Prathamesh Fuge (World No. 11), Ojas Pravin (AAI Rank 5)Compound Women: Ella Gibson (World No. 2), Swati Dudhwal (AAI Rank 7)
Chero Archers (Jharkhand): Chero Archers picked veteran Olympian Atanu Das and additional bolstered their recurve line-up with German Olympian archer and world medallist Katharina Bauer. They additionally have been capable of pay money for Mathias Fullerton, who gained the silver medal on the Men’s Compound occasion on the World Archery Championships 2025.
Recurve Men: Rahul (AAI Rank 3), Atanu Das (AAI Rank 5)Recurve Women: Katharina Bauer (World No. 9), Kumkum Mohod (AAI Rank 7)Compound Men: Mathias Fullerton (World No. 2), Sahil Rajesh (AAI Rank 6)Compound Women: Prithika Pradeep (AAI Rank 3), Madala Hamsini (AAI Rank 6)
Chola Chiefs (Tamil Nadu): Chola Chiefs have been capable of decide five-time Olympic medallist USA’s Brady Ellison, who not too long ago was a part of the Recurve Men Team that gained the Silver medal on the 2025 Archery World Championships in Gwangju, together with Indian Olympians Tarundeep Rai, and Deepika Kumari. They additionally picked World Record holder Rishabh Yadav, who was additionally a part of the Compound Men Team that gained a Gold medal on the recently-concluded 2025 World Archery Championships in Gwangju, and was additionally a part of the Compound Mixed Team that gained a Silver medal in the identical event.
Recurve Men: Brady Ellison (World No. 1), Tarundeep Rai (AAI Rank 4)Recurve Women: Deepika Kumari (World No. 3), Anshika Kumari (AAI Rank 9)Compound Men: Rishabh Yadav (World No. 9), Pulkit (AAI Rank 9)Compound Women: Meeri-Marita Paas (World No. 5), Taniparthi Chikitha (AAI Rank 4)
After the completion of the draft, the AAI officers additionally launched the official anthem of the league together with a dynamic visible package deal and introduced fashionable Indian actor and filmmaker Mr Ram Charan because the model ambassador.
President of the Archery Association of India, Arjun Munda, mentioned, ‘The launch of the Archery Premier League is a watershed second for the game within the nation. Through this league, we want to increase our attain throughout India, together with rural and tribal areas. We are assured our archers will achieve large publicity by the league, which is able to put together them for future occasions. In 2023 and 2024, India completed in second place in World Rankings, and now our aim is to maneuver in the direction of the primary place.’
Secretary General of the Archery Association of India, Virendra Sachdeva, mentioned, ‘We are elated to see that every one the franchises are effectively balanced and are fairly pleased with their squads. We are emotionally connected to the game, as it’s related to our historic and cultural roots. It took us a few years to fulfil our imaginative and prescient for the league, and we hope now that the league propels us to better achievements, together with Olympic medals.’
Anil Kamineni, Director of Archery Premier League, additional added, ‘With assist from World Archery, we have been capable of carry the world’s high archers to compete alongside our high archers in India. The league could have a spectacular opening on Dussehra Day, October 2nd, with Brand Ambassador Shri Ram Charan at Ram Leela Grounds in Delhi and can be an effective way to showcase and enhance the game’s recognition.’ (ANI)