Jyothi Surekha, Deepika Lead India at Archery World Cup 2026 Puebla

Asian Games gold medallist Jyothi Surekha Vennam and former world No. 1 Deepika Kumari will lead India’s campaign at the Archery World Cup 2026 Stage 1 , starting Tuesday in Puebla. The season-opening leg of the four-stage World Cup circuit will see over 200 archers from 32 countries compete from April 7 to 12 , with qualification spots for the World Cup Final in Saltillo at stake.

India has named a 16-member squad featuring a mix of Olympians, former world champions, and rising stars . Deepika Kumari , a four-time Olympian, will head the women’s recurve team, aiming to add to her 38 World Cup medals , including an individual bronze at Stage 2 in Shanghai last year . Jyothi Surekha Vennam , currently World No. 3 , will spearhead the women’s compound unit alongside former world champion Aditi Swami, returning after missing the Madrid stage last season. Vennam had a standout 2025 World Cup campaign, winning mixed team gold and bronze with Rishabh Yadav, two women’s team silvers, and an individual silver in Shanghai, before making history with an individual bronze at the World Cup Final in Nanjing – the first by an Indian woman in compound.

The men’s recurve team features Olympians Atanu Das and Tarundeep Rai , while the compound squad includes Asian Games silver medallist Abhishek Verma, former world champion Ojas Deotale , and 2025 Shanghai gold medallist Madhura Dhamangaonkar . Other members of the squad are Yashdeep Sanjay Bhoge, Dhiraj Bommadevara, Ankita Bhakat, Simranjeet Kaur, Kumkum Anil Mohod, Kushal Dalal, Sahil Jadhav, and Pragati.

The World Cup schedule (Indian Standard Time) begins on April 8 with compound individual and team qualifying rounds from 12:30 AM, followed by compound and recurve eliminations from 7:30 PM. April 9 and 10 will see individual, team, and mixed team eliminations for both recurve and compound from 7:30 PM. April 11 will feature all compound gold medal matches along with individual and mixed team bronze matches from 9:10 PM, while April 12 will have all recurve gold medal matches and bronze medal matches from 9:32 PM.

Live streaming of the compound and recurve finals will be available in India on Archery+ , as there is no television broadcast. With a blend of experience and emerging talent , India’s team looks set to make a strong start to the 2026 season and target medals across both recurve and compound events .