Mighty Marathas were crowned champions of the second season of the Archery Premier League after defeating Kakatiya Knights 6-2 in the final at People’s Plaza in Hyderabad, India, on Sunday 18 October.
India’s recurve star Dhiraj Bommadevara shot an impressive 79 out of 80, while Dutch compound archer Mike Schloesser lived up to his nickname ‘Mr Perfect’ with a flawless 80 out of 80 to lead Marathas to their first title.
It was a remarkable turnaround for Marathas, who had lost to Knights in their final round-robin match on Saturday and again in Sunday’s first qualifier. They bounced back by beating Prithviraaj Yodhas 5-3 in the second eliminator to earn another shot at the title.
“Believing in each other, keeping patience, and attack-attack-attack,” said Bommadevara when asked about the team’s comeback.
“To be honest, the truth is that we changed nothing after losing the first match, and that I think is the beauty of this team.”
The final began with the teams sharing the opening set 75-75 after Bommadevara delivered a 10 with his final arrow, while Knights’ Neeraj Chauhan finished with an eight. Bommadevara then shot two inner 10s in the second set to help Marathas take the lead.
