Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], October 10 (ANI): The full extent of the Archery Premier League’s thrill was witnessed on Day three of the second season as Prithviraaj Yodhas handed Chero Archers their first defeat in a match that required multiple ‘Sudden Death’ situations to decide the winner here on Saturday.
In the day’s first match, Mighty Marathas finally registered their first win of the season by beating Chola Chiefs 6-0. In the third match, defending champions Rajputana Royals suffered back-to-back defeats as they went down against Kakatiya Knights, who received plenty of backing from the local crowd at People’s Plaza on Necklace Road, as per a press release.
In what was the match of the day, and the season so far, Yodhas first had to make it 4-4 in regulation time by winning Set 4 against the in-form Archers. In the first tiebreaker – APL’s unique hit-or-miss shootoff – saw all four archers from both teams shoot outside the inner yellow ring, which registered as ‘misses’. Then, the match went into Sudden Death with one archer from each side alternating to decide the winner on an immediate hit-or-miss basis, and it was Mexican recurve star Matias Grande who nailed the inner-ring hit to win it for Yodhas in the third Sudden Death while Prithika Pradeep couldn’t do the same for her side.
For Chero, Kumkum Mohod – featuring for the first time after her Asian Games golden run – hit some impressive arrows but it was not enough for their side.
“This is a very small target. A little bit of luck, it was a good shot. In the first season it was smaller, and this time, it is more achievable I think. We are happy with the win. Honestly, it is a very special feeling, but it is not who gets the arrow to win the match, it is a team win,” Grande said after the match.
The world's first franchise-based archery league, APL, is initiated by the Archery Association of India and comprises six teams and a total of 48 archers, with 36 Indians and 12 elite international stars. The league, taking place at People's Plaza in Hyderabad, will culminate on October 18 with the grand finale featuring the top four teams in the semifinals, followed by the title clash.
Earlier in the day, after losing both their opening matches, Mighty Marathas came alive in some style to beat Chola Chiefs comprehensively without dropping a single set. The Marathas, led by Mike Schloesser and anchored by Dhiraj Bommadevara under time pressure, beat Chiefs 6-0 for their first win of the tournament, while Chiefs have now suffered two defeats in three matches.
Schloesser, nicknamed 'Mr. Perfect', lived up to the billing as he shot 10s with all six arrows for Marathas.
The Chiefs stuck to their tactic from Day 2 as they opted for their compound archers to shoot back-to-back at the start of the set. But Chikitha Taniparthi's two 9s meant they couldn't impose the same sort of scoreboard pressure on their opponents. Marathas' recurve archers shot a couple of 8s but their compound archers had done enough to ensure they take the first set 74-73.
In the second set, Marathas' star recurve archer Dhiraj Bommadevara came up with a super 10 under pressure of the clock winding down and the Mighty Marathas took a 4-0 lead. It was another set of 9s for Taniparthi in the second set, which prompted the Chiefs to unsurprisingly bring on Colombia's Alejandra Usquiano, who was on fire on the second day.
In the third set, after a decent start from the compound archers, Deepika Kumari and Marcus D'Almeida couldn't keep the pressure on as they erred outside of the yellow zone on the target. The Marathas held it steady to take a low-scoring set 74-72 and ensure the match was wrapped up even before the fourth set.
In the final match, Asian Games recurve bronze medallist Neeraj Chauhan was the star for Kakatiya Knights as he came up with clutch X-ring 10s while local hero Jyothi Surekha Vennam was also on fire. While Tokyo Olympic champion Mete Gazoz helped Royals take the first set with a pressure 10 in the first set, it was Neeraj and Vennam who led the Knights to a fine come-from-behind 6-2 win. Knights, in fact, had the chance to shoot the Perfect 80 in the fourth set but the last arrow ended up being a 9, even though it was more than sufficient.
Up next on Sunday, the Chero Archers will look to continue their strong start to the season as they take on local franchise Kakatiya Knights. Chola Chiefs will have to bounce back when they face Prithviraaj Yodhas. In the final match, the rejuvenated Mighty Marathas go up against defending champions Rajputana Royals.
The Archery Premier League Season 2 is being broadcast on Sony LIV, Doordarshan, Archery Association of India YouTube, and Archery+. Tickets are available on District by Zomato.
SCORES: DAY 3 (October 10)
Match 1: Mighty Marathas 6-0 Chola Chiefs
Match 2: Prithviraaj Yodhas 4-4 (1-0 Sudden Death) Chero Archers
Match 3: Kakatiya Knights 6-2 Rajputana Royals
BEST ARCHERS OF THE DAY (Rs 1 lakh reward)
Recurve male: Neeraj Chauhan
Recurve female: Ankita Bhakat
Compound male: Rajat Chauhan
Compound female: Jyothi Surekha Vennam. (ANI)
Archery Premier League: Prithviraaj Yodhas clinch stunning ‘Sudden Death’ win against Chero Archers
