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Tata Steel’s Chero Archers Return for Archery Premier League Season 2
~ The Jharkhand-based franchise to compete in Hyderabad from October 8-18, 2026 ~
Mumbai, October 6, 2026: Chero Archers, the Jharkhand-based franchise owned by Tata Steel, will return for the second season of the Archery Premier League (APL), scheduled to take place from October 8 to 18, 2026, in Hyderabad.
After reaching the semi-finals and finishing fourth in the inaugural season, Chero Archers have strengthened their line-up for Season 2 with a mix of international stars and some of India’s leading archers. The eight-member squad comprises four recurve and four compound archers, with equal representation of men and women.
The international contingent includes Mathias Fullerton of Denmark, the World No. 1 compound archer, who returns to Chero Archers after an impressive debut season, and Casey Kaufhold of the USA, the World No. 3 recurve archer and bronze medallist at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Indian contingent includes Olympian Atanu Das, who brings experience from the highest level of international competition, and four emerging talents ranked among the top three in their respective categories as per the latest Archery Association of India rankings.
D. B. Sundara Ramam, Vice President – Corporate Services, Tata Steel, said, “The strength of the Archery Premier League lies in the opportunity it creates for Indian archers to compete alongside the best in the world, in a format that brings the sport closer to a wider audience. For Chero Archers, that makes the league a natural extension of what we have been building through our archery programme in Jharkhand. We are delighted to see the league return for its second season and look forward to the Indian archers competing, learning and making their mark.”
Chero Archers will continue to be guided by Padma Shri Purnima Mahato, Head Coach of Tata Archery Academy (TAA) and Recurve Coach of Chero Archers, along with Vivek, who will continue as Compound Coach. A three-time coach of the Indian Olympic Archery Team, Mahato has been closely associated with Tata Steel’s archery programme and has also been named Brand Ambassador of Chero Archers for Season 2.
Tata Steel’s commitment to developing Indian archery will also be represented in other teams in the league. Ankita Bhakat, an athlete from TAA, returns to defending champions Rajputana Royals, while Yuktha Sri Kondapavuluri, another TAA archer, will represent the Chola Chiefs in Season 2. In the inaugural edition, TAA athletes featured across all four teams that reached the semi-finals.
The second season of the APL will feature six franchises and 48 Indian and international archers across recurve and compound disciplines. The league will follow a double round-robin format, with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals ahead of the final on October 18.
Chero Archers – APL Season 2 Squad
| Category | Archer | Selection/Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Compound Men | Mathias Fullerton, Denmark | WA Rank 1 |
| Compound Men | Sahil Rajesh Jadhav, India | AAI Rank 1 |
| Compound Women | Prithika Pradeep, India | AAI Rank 3 |
| Compound Women | Jasveer Kaur, India | AAI Rank 6 |
| Recurve Men | Yashdeep Bhoge, India | AAI Rank 3 |
| Recurve Men | Atanu Das, India | AAI Rank 4 |
| Recurve Women | Casey Kaufhold, USA | WA Rank 3 |
| Recurve Women | Kumkum Anil Mohod, India | AAI Rank 2 |
AAI: Archery Association of India | WA: World Archery
Teams competing in APL Season 2
- Chero Archers
- Chola Chiefs
- Kakatiya Knights
- Mighty Marathas
- Prithviraaj Yodhas
- Rajputana Royals
Chero Archers – Season 2 Fixtures
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| October 8 | Chola Chiefs |
| October 9 | Rajputana Royals |
| October 10 | Prithviraaj Yodhas |
| October 11 | Kakatiya Knights |
| October 12 | Mighty Marathas |
| October 13 | Rajputana Royals |
| October 14 | Prithviraaj Yodhas |
| October 15 | Kakatiya Knights |
| October 16 | Mighty Marathas |
| October 17 | Chola Chiefs |
Disclaimer
Statements in this press release describing the Company’s performance may be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws and regulations. Actual results may differ materially from those directly or indirectly expressed, inferred or implied. Important factors that could make a difference to the Company’s operations include, among others, economic conditions affecting demand/ supply and price conditions in the domestic and overseas markets in which the Company operates, changes in or due to the environment, Government regulations, laws, statutes, judicial pronouncements and/ or other incidental factors.
For queries and information
Sarvesh Kumar,
Chief Corporate Communications, Tata Steel,
E-mail : sarvesh.kumar@tatasteel.com
About Tata Steel
- Tata Steel group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 36 million tonnes per annum.
- It is one of the world's most geographically diversified steel producers, with operations and commercial presence across the world.
- The group recorded a consolidated turnover of around US$26 billion in the financial year ending March 31, 2026.
- Tata Steel Limited, together with its subsidiaries, associates, and joint ventures, is spread across five continents with an employee base of over 77,000.
- Tata Steel has announced its major sustainability objectives including Net Zero by 2045.
- The Company has been on a multi-year digital-enabled business transformation journey intending to be the leader in ‘Digital Steel making’. The Company has received the World Economic Forum’s Global Lighthouse recognition for its Jamshedpur, Kalinganagar, and IJmuiden Plants. 78% of our steel comes from these global lighthouses. Tata Steel has also been recognised with the ‘Digital Enterprise of India – Steel’ Award 2024 by Economic Times CIO.
- The Company has been recognised with the World Economic Forum’s Global Diversity Equity & Inclusion Lighthouse 2023 and is the world’s largest SA8000 Certified organisation in terms of workforce coverage.
- The Company has been a part of the DJSI Emerging Markets Index since 2012 and has been consistently ranked among the top 10 steel companies in the DJSI Corporate Sustainability Assessment since 2016.
- Tata Steel’s Jamshedpur Plant is India’s first site to receive ResponsibleSteelTM Certification. Subsequently, its Kalinganagar and Meramandali plants have also received the certification. In India, Tata Steel now has more than 90% of its steel production from ResponsibleSteelTM certified sites.
- Received Prime Minister’s Trophy for the best performing integrated steel plant for 2016-17, 2026 Steel Sustainability Champion recognition from worldsteel for nine years in a row, CDP 2024 ‘Supplier Engagement Assessment’ Leader, Top performer in Iron and Steel sector in Dun & Bradstreet's India's top 500 companies 2022, Ranked as the 2024 most valuable Mining and Metals brand in India by Brand Finance, ‘Most Ethical Company’ award 2021 from Ethisphere Institute, and CII Sports Business Award 2025 for 'The Legacy of Excellence in Sports Patronage'.
- Received the Legal Team of the Year - Manufacturing at the 15th Annual Legal Era Indian Legal Awards 2025-26, 2023 Global ERM (Enterprise Risk Management) Award of Distinction at the RIMS ERM Conference 2023, ‘Masters of Risk – Risk Technology’ recognition at The India Risk Management Awards, and ICSI Business Responsibility and Sustainability Award 2023 for its first Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR), Excellence in Financial Reporting FY20 from ICAI, among several others.
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