Archery Premier League: Chola Chiefs’ Tactical Masterstroke Sinks Kakatiya Knights 6-2

A clever change in strategy and a flawless performance from Colombian archer Alejandra Usquiano helped Chola Chiefs register their first victory of Archery Premier League Season 2, defeating Kakatiya Knights 6-2 in Hyderabad on Friday.

Making her APL debut, Usquiano was in sensational form, hitting the bullseye with all eight of her arrows to score perfect 10s. The Chiefs' decision to deploy their compound archers aggressively at the beginning of each set proved decisive against a Knights side led by Nico Wiener.

The victory took both teams to one win and one defeat after their opening two matches of the tournament.

The Chiefs revealed their tactical plan from the opening set, sending their two compound archers, Rishabh Yadav and Usquiano, to shoot both their arrows in the first half. The move immediately paid dividends as they opened with a perfect score of 40, putting the Knights under pressure.

The Knights stuck to their usual approach, alternating between their compound and recurve archers, but struggled to match the Chiefs' early momentum.

The same strategy worked again in the second set. The Chiefs' compound archers delivered another perfect 40, while Neeraj Chauhan found himself racing against the clock and managed just five points with his final arrow. The Chiefs finished the set with a formidable 76, extending their lead to 4-0.

However, the Knights refused to surrender without a fight. Having recovered from a similar 0-4 deficit against Mighty Marathas on the opening day, they showed signs of another comeback.

Chauhan redeemed himself with a superb 10 on his eighth arrow in the third set, while the Chiefs' Marcus D’Almeida managed only three points when nine would have secured victory. The Knights capitalised on the opening, winning the set 76-70 to reduce the deficit.

Any hopes of a dramatic turnaround were extinguished in the fourth set, as the Chiefs produced their strongest performance of the match, scoring 79 out of a possible 80 points.

While Usquiano and Yadav continued to deliver with their compound bows, recurve stars Deepika Kumari and D’Almeida demonstrated their class to seal the set 79-76 and complete a convincing 6-2 victory.

The result marked an encouraging turnaround for the Chiefs, whose tactical adjustment and composure under pressure proved the difference in a contest that briefly threatened to swing the Knights' way.