Dhiraj Bommadevara leads Mighty Marathas to Archery Premier League title

Hyderabad: Mighty Marathas were crowned champions of Archery Premier League Season 2 after bouncing back from a defeat to Kakatiya Knights in the first qualifier earlier in the day to defeat the same opponents in the grand final here on Sunday.

Led by a sensational performance from their recurve star Dhiraj Bommadevara, who finished the final with an arrow in the inner X-ring, Marathas beat the local franchise Knights 6-2.

While Dhiraj shot an incredible 79 out of 80 in the title clash, the other standout performer for Marathas was ‘Mr Perfect’ Mike Schloesser, who lived up to his nickname by scoring a perfect 80 out of 80.

Knights entered the final on the back of a victory over Marathas in Saturday’s last league match, followed by another win against the same opponents in the first qualifier. Marathas, however, had to take the longer route after losing to Knights but defeating Prithviraaj Yodhas in the second eliminator to secure their place in the final.

“Believing in each other, keeping patience, and attack-attack-attack,” Dhiraj said when asked about the mantra behind Marathas’ turnaround. “To be honest, the truth is that we changed nothing after losing the first match (qualifier against Knights), and that, I think, is the beauty of this team.”

Fittingly, Dhiraj was named the male recurve archer of the day as well as of the tournament.

Marathas also benefited from smart substitutions during the day’s play, making effective use of their bench strength. Despite shooting well in the first match, Aman Saini was replaced by Dutch superstar Schloesser before the second eliminator. Schloesser went on to score 79 in that match, followed by a perfect 80 in the final.

Another tactical move saw experienced international star Alejandra Valencia replaced by Simranjeet Kaur midway through the second match. The Indian archer rose to the occasion under pressure, delivering for Marathas.

Earlier in the day, in the Shortcut Decider between the top two teams, Mighty Marathas and Kakatiya Knights put on a sensational show in a match that ebbed and flowed. Knights took the lead, but Marathas fought back to clinch the next two sets. Knights then won the fourth set when Dhiraj had a chance to seal the match with his final arrow, forcing a Hit-or-Miss Shoot-off.

Knights’ foreign stars then stepped up in the tiebreaker, with Wiener and Canales hitting the inner golden ring to secure a 2-0 win.

After having to recover from the disappointment of that defeat, Marathas responded impressively against Prithviraaj Yodhas in the second eliminator, winning 5-3 to set up a rematch in which they reversed the earlier result, much to their delight.

Best archers of the day
Recurve male: Dhiraj Bommadevara (Marathas)
Recurve female: Elia Canales (Knights)
Compound male: Mike Schloesser (Marathas)
Compound female: Prithika Pradeep (Chero)
Best archers of the tournament
Recurve male: Dhiraj Bommadevara (Marathas)
Recurve female: Sangeeta (Rajputana Royals)
Compound male: Mathias Fullerton (Chero)
Compound female: Alejandra Usquiano (Chiefs)