Perfect aim, perfect finish: Marathas rule Archery Premier League

Mighty Marathas beat Prithviraj Yoddhas in the Eliminator, eventually carrying that momentum into the final where it emerged as champion. | Photo Credit: Archery Premier League

Mighty Marathas clinched the Archery Premier League title on Sunday, defeating Kakatiya Knights 6-2 in the season 2 final at People’s Plaza in Hyderabad.

Led by a sensational performance by Dhiraj Bommadevara, who finished the final off with an arrow into the inner X-ring, Marathas bounced back from a defeat earlier in the day against Knights in the first qualifier.

They did well to beat Prithviraaj Yodhas in the second eliminator and took that momentum into the final, where Dhiraj shot 79 out of 80 and Mike Schloesser scored 80 out of the possible 80.

After Knights and Marathas split the first set, Dhiraj shot two inner-10s to put Marathas in the lead in the summit clash. Both Neeraj Chauhan and Dhiraj stepped up in the third set, where points were shared again.

With Knights under pressure to bag the final set and force a shootoff, all four of Nico Wiener, Jyothi Surekha Vennam, Elia Canales and Neeraj could only shoot 9s. Marathas then scored a breathtaking 79 to seal the contest in style.

The mantra behind Marathas’ win? “Believing in each other, keeping patience, and attack-attack-attack,” Dhiraj stated. “To be honest, the truth is that we changed nothing after losing (to Knights in the qualifier), and that I think is the beauty of this team.”

The scores:

Final: Mighty Marathas bt Kakatiya Knights 6-2 (75-75, 77-76, 75-75, 79-73).

Qualifier 2: Kakatiya Knights drew with Mighty Marathas 4-4 (75-73, 75-76, 76-77, 77-76) Mighty Marathas. Knights won 2-0 in the shootoff.

Eliminator 2: Mighty Marathas bt Prithviraaj Yodhas 5-3 (74-78, 76-76, 77-72, 78-76).