Rajputana Royals laid down the marker early on in Archery Premier League’s second edition too as they beat Prithviraaj Yodhas 5-3 in the opening match in Hyderabad on Thursday.
With compound archers Ojas Deotale and world No 1 Ella Gibson leading the way with high-scoring arrows at the start, Royals also had Tokyo Olympic recurve champion Mete Gazoz to thank, as he repeatedly closed out the sets with the 120-second countdown winding down. The Abhishek Verma-led Yodhas bounced back from a slow start and could have taken the match into a hit-or-miss shootoff with the final arrow too, but Mexico’s Mathias Grande shot a costly 8 in the end.
The Royals won the first set 73-69 as Grande’s 7 with his first arrow put Yodhas on the backfoot and playing catch-up. Deotale, who was the source of the Royals’ high energy just as he was last season, set the tone for the Royals along with Gibson, while India’s Ankita Bhakat played able support to Gazoz.
Verma started the second set with a 10 as it was a good start from all four archers, with the score tied 37-37 halfway through. Grande then bounced back with a sensational 10 off the final arrow with the clock winding down. Gazoz could have won the set for Royals with a 10 but his 9 meant both teams would have split points for the set. But one of the arrows was corrected after the end of the set, which saw the Yodhas bounce back into the match to make it 2-2.
Rajputana archers on fire
Before the third set, Yodhas made a change as Andrea Becerra came in to replace Raj Kaur. The compound stars of each team were on fire – Deotale and Verma started with superb X-ring 10s, then Gibson and Becerra followed that up with 10s too, as the teams were locked in a tight battle. With their final arrows, Gazoz and Grande were both up against the clock but released the arrows in time. The Mexican had to hit a 10 to split the set, and he responded with just that for Yodhas. A really quality set was tied 77-77:
Royals started the fourth set superbly with three 10s and opened up a 39-37 lead halfway through to stand on the cusp of a win. Gatha Anandrao Khadake, 16, had an up-and-down match but shot a 10 with her final arrow to give her side a chance to force a shootoff. While Gazoz managed a superb X with his final shot, Grande could manage only an 8.
On the second day of action, the first match will feature Kakatiya Knights and Chola Chiefs. The defending champions Rajputana Royals resume their campaign against Chero Archers in the second match, and in the final encounter, Mighty Marathas take on Prithviraaj Yodhas.
The league is being broadcast on Sony LIV, Doordarshan and World Archery TV and tickets are available on District by Zomato.
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 semifinal followed by the title clash.
